Japan

Thursday, 7th continued----
I, inadvertently, disconnected the internet last night so lost half my blog! It's hard enough to find a computer without doing that.
Thursday morning I started my journey to Osaka, I sat on the station platform for a while (I couldn't find a station cafe that I could sit in and have breakfast, the Japanese seem to eat on the run). Everything is so well organised. The trains park neatly with the carriage entrances neatly placed next to the gap in the railing and the carriage number. Everyone gets off the train with their rubbish, recycling rubbish bins are everywhere, the cleaners rush on and clean, whilst passengers queue politely by their carriage door!

The journey was uneventful, I saw Mt. Fuji again, I had my first sighting from the air but it was not very clear as there is a lot of air pollution, today I got a better sighting and took several photos but I missed the best shot, never mind I saw it and no clouds on top. I confess the above picture is a postcard, I didn't get this close! The one below is mine though I did get a better view.
When I arrived in Osaka I decided to go straight to the hotel to get rid of my bag, I thought it wouldn't take long! Theoretically it wouldn't have but the subway station I arrived at had a kind of underground shopping mall and I didn't know which exit I had come out of, so I walked the wrong way first, then the hotel has it's entrance on a different road to both the address and the map, so it all took ages, when I arrived I was exhausted. I thought it was jet-lag but I think it was food and drink lag, I must discipline myself to stop. After I dropped off my bag I went straight for food, I was gagging for a beer. The first 'restaurant' I found had plastic models of the food outside, so I went in. It was incredible, cheaper than Nando's and quite weird, you had to start by selecting the number of your order on, what looked like, a vending machine you pay the machine and give the tickets it produces to a waitress. I got my beer but I needn't have bothered because iced tea was served with the meal, I'm sure it was a 2 litre jug, so I drank loads. The meal came on a tray, 6 dishes - the main course (mine was pork in ginger), rice, soup, gherkin and 2 sausages with raw veg. I started by wondering why there was no knife and fork, then I remembered, so I looked for the chopsticks, eventually I found them in a drawer under the condiments and Soy sauce. The rice was stodgy and tasteless for my taste, I discovered why when I tried to flavour some with the sauce! (The correct way to do this is to add the sauce to the rice but I added the rice to the sauce!) I defy anyone to eat rice, that's disintegrated in sauce, with chopsticks!

After food I went for a walk around. I found a series of side streets that, together, make a kind of market.

The produce was incredible, really fresh and good quality. All neatly packed for meals.

When I returned to the hotel I asked about launderettes and internet cafes. This hotel has a laundry room and they have rented me a laptop for 2 nights, hence I can blog . I have been having real trouble finding a computer, apparently most people travel with their laptops so when hotels say they provide free internet they only mean 'internet' not a computer to access it!

Friday,8th
I put the alarm on to get up early this morning as I wanted to go to Yoshino to see the Cherry Blossom. I had downloaded a list of trains that I needed, this was vital to start with as, once I left the subway, there was virtually no information in English. My list said to take a train from Oje to Takada then another from Takada to Yoshinoguchi. I got the train I wanted at Oje by the skin of my teeth and religiously got off at Takada, I only had a couple of minutes to get the next train and there was a train on another platform, so off I went only to discover that the train I wanted was the one I had just got off! I had to wait an hour and 20 minutes for the next train so I wandered about the little town, then returned to the station so I could sit down and eat some breakfast.

Eventually I got to Yoshino, it is very pretty, shrines, up in the hills with lots of cherry blossom. Cherry blossom is the national flower of Japan and they turn out in droves to picnic under the trees. Today was maybe not a good day, the morning was fine but it rained in the afternoon. I went out today, for a trip to the hills, with neither a waterproof nor an umbrella!

Mats under the trees for picnics.

I had planned to visit Nara as well but with the difficult trains, the rain and the fact that the batteries in my camera had gone flat without me noticing, I decided to return to Osaka. I got back to Yoshinaguchi without a problem and was helped to find the right platform for the train back to Takada. The timetable looked like the trains for Takada also went to Oje and, after my experience of the morning, I decided to stay on the train. We waited for ages in Takada but eventually we left, very late according to the timetable that I had seen. Surprise, surprise, we end up in Nara! I was obviously meant to go and I'm glad I did but I had to buy an umbrella and I couldn't take any photos!

I hear there was an earthquake somewhere last night, I didn't feel a thing.

On the way!

Monday 4th April and off.

I picked up my passport and China visa, I had understood that the visa would be dated from the date I said that I would be entering China, it isn't, it's dated from Friday when I requested the Visa. This is not a problem for me but I am sure I have read somewhere that you should request the visa at least a month before travelling, this is obviously not a good idea if you have a long trip planned.

I had booked a night (?night - I have to get up at 03.30) in a cheap hotel near Heathrow. I suppose you get what you pay for. It's the first time I have been disappointed with booking.com. When I got to the hotel I thought it was shut; the curtains were all drawn, all hung badly and I had to ring and knock 3 times, then I was asked to come back later as he was fumigating! I've heard that even the Parador in Santiago has had bed-bugs so I supposed I should be grateful to be the first one in after the fumigation!! I thought of covering myself in anti-bug liquid. There was no kettle in the room either which was a disappointment but the young lad who was running it brought me a couple of cups of coffee. I put my alarm on for 03.30, tucked in to a supper of sandwiches and a mug of wine and watched 'Waking the Dead' before cuddling down to sleep.

Wednesday! It was difficult to know which day was Wednesday as we lost 7 hours somewhere. So, Tuesday morning I got up at 03.30 and went for the 04.09 bus to Terminal 4. Whilst I was standing at the bus-stop the top of my left arm started to itch! Needless to say I hadn't coated myself in anti-bug liquid! The itching got worse over the day (and night). They don't really look like bites but by Wednesday evening I had 40 bites/lumps up my left leg, 8 or 9 at the top of each arm, some around my neck and a few up my right leg!! They are just very itchy red lumps. I don't know what the chap was fumigating against but I don't think it worked, what's more I woke up during the night and smelt chemicals, I was really worried that I was going to spend the night breathing noxious fumes and be unwell for the flight, but I was OK. I had breakfast at the airport and then another one on the flight to Milan. It was the first time in years that I have been fed on a plane! I didn't have much spare time in Milan but I had to travel from Linate airport to Malpensa, when I checked on the shuttle bus I discovered that there was a long wait so I decided to make my own way, and to visit the Duomo en route. It is really beautiful, I was glad I made the effort. Unfortunately there was so little time that I didn't have time to stop for a drink, I got to the airport just under 2 hours before the flight, checked in then went for food, by this time it was after 1pm and I had nothing to eat or drink since about 07.30. I really must be more systematic in my approach to eating and drinking. Anyway, I found a very nice little bar, I thought, restaurant actually and had lunch. (The italians really manage to do somethings very well.) Later I had what they called 'lunch' on the plane, because of turbulence we didn't have this till after 4pm so I managed both, this was just as well as we didn't get another meal till breakfast! I put my watch forward the 7 hours straight way so I could persuade myself it was bedtime. Actually Alitalia was very good about drinks and snacks, there was a trolley left at the back all night and anyone could help themselves, they also came around with water or coke a couple of times. The flight went north after Milan, across Rumania, Poland, Russia, Siberia, Mongolia, China and South Korea, in fact I did Trans-siberia in the air. It was dark and mostly cloudy but I did see a light now and again over Siberia and the stars were phenomenal. We stopped in Osaka so that the crew could change, Alitalia doesn't want it's crews overnighting in Tokyo!

We sat on the plane, on the apron, in the heat for over an hour whilst the crew changed, the plane re-fuelled and we had a health check! (A ?doctor walked around the plane and flashed a gadget at us, I suppose it was a long distance thermometer, why don't hospitals have those??) He decided we were all OK. I refrained from scratching for a while as I was afraid he would not let me in!

My first view of Mt Fuji, taken from the air.

We then flew on to Tokyo, no-one offered us anything else to drink and by the time we got through customs and immigration it was well after 12. I had a coffee at the airport but I was anxiuos to get to my hotel, I had to take a train and a subway so it was a real test of my intiative.




The girl at the hotel was SO enthusiastic when she saw me, I felt quite guilty that I had cancelled one night. She insisted on taking our photos, I must point out that I had been travelling for a long time!

I saw no signs of power cuts or transport problems, Tokyo seems to be fuctioning normally. I was given a bottle of water, instead of drinking tap water, which was a bit naughty of me to take as I had bought a bottle in Milan so as not to use up Tokyo's important reserves. the Cherry blossom has started to flower so there is a joyous feeling. I have also seen a few people in Kimonos, I don't know whether this is normal.
I went to the temple of Senso-ji, my first Japanese temple, but certainly not my last.


I also went to Nakamise Dori, as Lonely Planet recommends a visit and says that it is the place to buy kimonos.I intended to buy a kimono but was too tired and not ready to spend money straight away so I didn't. So there we are Day 1 or Day 1 and a half. I've had a shower, put all my dirty clothes in a plastic bag to be washed a.s.a.p (it had better be soon as I don't have many clothes with me!).


I was intrigued by the power cables in the streets, I assume it is because of the risk of earth-quakes that they hang around above ground!

Thursday 7th April 2011

I slept fairly well despite jet-lag and itching but I was up at 6 so I decided to start early. It is not recommended, for tourists, to use the subway during the rush hour (from 07.30 to 09.30) and I certainly didn't want to do it with my back pack. I found the subways easier than I expected though somehow I managed to miscalculate the cost of my ticket. The ticket Officer was very helpful, everyone is very helpful. (I feel a bit of a novelty, I was the only Western tourist I saw in Tokyo, I have seen a couple, ? from Oz, here in Osaka.) I got my Japan Rail Pass this morning so the next few days will be busy. I'm sorry I didn't see more of Tokyo but I feel that the few hours I had were well spent.

almost off!

I phoned Alitalia when I arrived here in England but they were singularly unhelpful. The girl I spoke to virtually denied that the flight was now passing through Osaka, even though I have been monitoring this carefully, and, as I booked through an agency they will not change my flight, so it's Tokyo here I come. I bought a 'Pot Noodle' yesterday! It's a Japanese one so at least I'm being authentic. I have also cancelled the 2nd night in the hotel in Tokyo. I took my forms to the China Visa office on Tuesday, the process was simple and only took a few minutes, the Visa should be ready now but I will pick it up on Monday when I am back in London. I have also bought my Japan Rail Pass, so I am ready to go. Not long now!

About to go!

Tomorrow it all starts. I leave about 06.15 to walk the 3kms, uphill, to catch the local bus! I have done a little bit of practice but anyone who has seen me huffing and puffing up the road would never believe that this time last year I was walking the Camino de Santiago!! The walk will be in the dark and, if todays weather is anything to go by, in the rain. In Ourense I will make a final trip to the hospital to get my last Hepatitis A & B vaccinations, then on to Vigo and Oporto. I am quite looking forward to seeing Oporto so I won't moan too much about the fact that Ryanair has re-instated the flights from Santiago this week. Once in London I will be able to phone Alitalia and hopefully get some info. I should at least be able to converse in English. The flight last Tuesday stopped at Osaka before going on to Tokyo. The way things are going around Fukishima I canot believe that I won't be able to change my flight but I'm hanging on to my booking in Tokyo till I know for sure. I expect the highlights of my trip to Japan to be: a night in a ryokan in Takayama; the cherry blossom in Nara and Yoshina; and the Geisha concert in Kyoto. For the latter I want to pay for the most expensive seats and have a 'Tea ceremony' beforehand. My camera is ready! My bag is packed! The house is clean! My alarm is on!

Sooooo!

I've found my flight, it's back to going to Tokyo. I can't say I'm delighted, however there are still 10 days till I fly so anything can happen.
With the news today about radiation found in foods and water I think, if I end up in tokyo, I'll arrive with a bottle of water and some Pot Noodles. I can't stand Pot Noodles so that really is dire. I was wanting to visit the fish market in Tokyo but I think that will be a sad place at the moment so I'll pass on that.
I am a bit perplexed as to what news Alitalia have heard that makes it safe to fly into Tokyo this week when it wasn't last week.

Tales of the unknown!

I have no idea where I am going now! Tuesday's flight from Milan to Tokyo was still shown, at Milan Malpensa airport, to be flying to Tokyo but Tokyo showed it as being diverted and Kansai didn't show it at all, so there's a mystery. I assume it arrived somewhere.

I have just phoned Alitalia and am informed that my flight, on 5th April will be going to Tokyo. This may be, of course, that they haven't made up their minds yet, but this mornings flight to Tokyo was still being shown as flying to Tokyo so I will look tomorrow morning and see if I can find out where it has gone. Last week the flights were very clearly turning up at Kansai airport, Osaka. I seem to be going on a Magical Mystery Tour. I wouldn't mind except that I have to cancel a hotel before I leave England, I currently have bookings in hotels in tokyo and Osaka, for the same 2 nights. I assume Alitalia staff at Heathrow will know where flights are going as they have to label luggage. I hope my luggage and I go to the same place!!!

Tales of the unexpected!

I had it all organised!! After changing my itinerary several times I thought I was all set to go, there was just a niggling doubt over the situation in China. There is considerable unrest in the Middle East and there were/are some concerns that this may spread to China. But no. It's not China that is the problem, Japan has suffered the biggest earthquake in history, followed by the biggest tsunami in history, and, as if this is not enough for one country, the tsunami has wrecked a nuclear power plant.

Stories about what may or may not be happening in Japan depend on what one reads or watches, suffice it to say the Japanese are having a hell of a time. I really haven't chosen the best time to go but neither do I intend to cancel my trip. I have spent the last week watching and monitoring the situation very closely. Now it seems that Alitalia is diverting it's flights to Osaka, this is fine by me, I don't know how long for so I now have 2 hotel reservations for the first 2 nights!!

I have cancelled a night in Nikko and I may not get to see Mt. Fuji but so what, it may be covered in cloud anyway:) For my first big trip this is certainly one I will remember, if only for the anticipation and anxiety. I feel very selfish worrying about trivialities when so many are suffering and so many are dead.