Ian Hamriding's blog

31/08/2010 - Hiroshima

Time to say goodbye to new made friends, and the beautiful city of Kyoto and head further west, this time accompanied by the 2 friends i bumped into in Nara, to the city of obvious notoriety Hiroshima. Shinkansen train ride smooth and fast as always. Western-style hostel about 10 minute walk from the main train station. First impressions of the city - looks like a 1950`s post-war neon and cheaply built american city, and i guess thats what it is. Quite obviously there are no buildings of any real age or heritage.

Check-in, relax for a while and then head out for dinner with Anna and Angela. Head downtown and find a nice little restaurant that serves a vareity of different Yakatori delicacies, as well as sashimi and other bits and pieces. Meal was very enjoyable. Early night as all tired.

Next day head straight for the "Atomic Bomb Dome". This was the Industrial Promotional Hall standing in the city centre when the first atomic bomb, "Little Boy" was dropped at 08:15 on Hiroshima on 6th August, 1945. It is a chilling reminder of the grim reality of that day,  being as it was one of the few buildings to remain standing that day. The building lies very close to the "hypocentre" of the bomb blast, which detonated more or less directly 600 metres above the building, with a blast force of about 35 tonnesper square metre and killing approximately 90,000 people in a matter of seconds. The copper roof of the building literally melted away and everyone in the building at the time were literally incinerated.  The walls show vividly the effects of intense temperature and stress fractures. Quite close to the building lies a small stone statue, apparently and sadly ironically a deity to small children that shows marks of the heat blast from the explosion. Feeling quite sombre and juggling thoughts about the reasons and justifications for such an act against human beings.   Of course it wasnt the first and only such event. The conventional bombing raids on Hamburg were estimated to have killed 50,000, the raids on Dresden in the region of 25,000. But theres something particular about an attack with a nuclear weapon that declares the intent to annihilate everyone in the target area, without hope or exception of escape. Did it take something so dreadful to convince Japan to surrender ? Was it necessary to drop the bomb on a civilian population ? Was it necessary to drop another bomb on Nagasaki ? Such questions run through my mind as i head to the Atomic Bomb Museum nearby.

30/08/2010 - Friends

Yesterday decided to take a day trip to Nara with 2 people Id met from the hostel.  Its located about 40 minutes away from Kyoto by train. Was sitting on the train, waiting for it to depart, when 2 friends from back home stepped onto the same carriage ! I could barely believe it was them. Anyway, after some energetic greetings, we decided to stick together for the day trip.

The trip itself was very good fun. Nara is famous for its wild deer who inhabit some of the local parks, temples and shrines. One of my friends, Angela, managed to get her map eaten by one of the deer, which was hilarious. One of the temple complexes we visited, Kofukuji, was very impressive. It consisted of a main temple, flanked by some smaller temples and a great 5 storey pagoda, and then surrounded by a gate and wall.

We stopped for a cheap lunch in the town, and then later headed to another town called Inari, which featured, up into the hills, steps lined by red ornate gates. At the top were a number of Zen burial mounds.

In the evening, I met up with my new found friends for dinner. We had quite a banquet of food in a Japanese restaurant, much more than i would have chosen, had i been alone.  A good day all in all.

27/08/2010 - Ｏｎｓｅｎ

Pretty chilled out day today. Got up reasonably late and caught a bus to the Golden Pavillion, a temple located in the north west of the　city. The temple itself was quite beautiful, more like a square house on 3 levels, the top two of which were covered in gold leaf. A golden chinese phoenix sat majestically on the roof. The house overlooked an ornate garden and lake.

After visiting the pavillion i headed down to a local onsen (japanese public baths) for a good soak in hot spring water. They had a number of different types of bath, ranging from very hot to very cold, intense bubbles, and waterfall effect. There was also an oppressively hot sauna which i only lasted about 5 minutes in.

From the onsen i caught a bus back to the main train station and bought some bits and pieces to eat from the food market. Tonight will go to visit the famous Geisha district of Kyoto where you can see Geishas on their way to various appointments around the city.

26/08/2010 - Southern Higashiyama

Last night was cool. One of the Japanese guys who runs the hotel let me play his guitar, which after a few glasses of wine turned into a bit of a party, bashing out some old favourites and singing with the rest of the hotel guests until the early hours. Met some interesting people from all over the world.

Very enjoyable day today. Decided to rent a bike from the hostel and head out to the east of the city to Higashiyama, an area very rich in cultural heritage,  temples, gardens etc. Visited the Dai-un-in and Kiyomizu temples, as well as a number of ornate gardens and pagodas. This is really the Japan that everyone dreams of.  I take my bike a bit further north and pass through some lovely village streets, lined with shops selling local produce, textiles, pottery, etc. End up at the Chion-in temple complex, which has the largest oriental gate (simply huge), and a massive temple surrounded by smaller ones. Take my shoes off at the front "door", head inside and take a seat against a wooden post, as I had done so many times before in south east asia. I was fortunate enough to witness a buddhist monk reciting his daily mantras, whilst intermittently striking a small bell.  It was very calming to just sit there, take in the ambient sounds and the odour of burning incense. I could have stayed there for hours.

Having completely gotten my fill of temples for the day, I head back to town centre as i have read that the Nishiki food market is really worth a visit, and contains one of the finest knife shops in Japan. And everyone who knows me knows that I do like a good knife ! The market was really cool. So nice to stroll through and see all the weird and wonderful produce and creations on offer, occasionally dipping my fingers into sample bowls. Everything is so fish-centric. Im not surprised the Japanese have no concern for calls to stop whaling. Im sure the first thing they think of when they think of whale is a large whale sitting on top of a very large piece of rice, dipped in soy sauce.

I locate the knife shop and enter with glee. They have some stunning knives on display and some of them are astronomically expensive. They resemble samurai swords actually, and i wouldnt be surprised if the blades are hewn in the same way. I felt the blade of a sashimi knife and it was ever so sharp. I want one ! 

I pick up a few snacks along the route and then cycle back to the hotel.

25/08/2010 - Nijo Castle

Late start today.  I just slept and slept last night,  lucid dream after lucid dream.  Felt my brain was really catching up on a lot of lost sleep. At about 11 am, I got out of bed, got showered and dressed and headed out to see a local temple - Higashi hongan ji,  and a local japanese garden shosei-en.  The garden was quite exquisite,  so beautifully kept and ordered. The midday heat was however sweltering.

Next i caught the metro to northwest Kyoto to visit the Nijo-jo castle complex. Like most Japanese castles, this huge square construction is surrounded by a moat and has high stone walls.  In the centre are a number of palace buildings. Take my shoes off at reception and walk through the various chambers. The wooden floors literally "sing", called "Nightingale floors". They were fitted with devices that kind of chime when you stand on them. The idea was a kind of defence from assassins such as ninjas. In this way you could hear them approaching in the night. I tried it and it was impossible not to make a noise on them. And i should know because Im a trained ninja !

The chambers themselves were quite a simple layout. Rectangular rooms with straw mat floors but the paper walls were decorated with beautiful murals depicting wild animals and flowers etc. Got to visit the room where the shogun would receive his feudal lords, and some of his private chambers where he would hang out with his mates and the lovely ladies in waiting.

After visiting the castle i stopped for a quick noodle and egg hit, then took the subway back to downtown Kyoto. Not far from one of the central stations is the Museum of Manga art. For the most part this museum is like a large library or book shop. There are volumes of manga comics on every wall,  which you can just pick off the shelf and read. The place was full of people young and old, studying these little comics. Some of the artwork in these comics was so intricate and beautiful.  Its no wonder there's a whole sub-cult devoted to this theme.  In one of the last rooms was a presentation of manga artwork by a famous artist.  Some of these pictures were fantastic.

24/08/2010 - Kyoto

Very late start this morning.  Was awaken by a staff member as, in my exhaustion from the Mt Fuji climb yesterday, had slept through checkout all the way until 11:30. Actually they were very gracious about it. I have stayed in places in the past where they have made a real fuss and even charged for leaving late.  Once showered and prepared I hit the streets once again and make my way through a wall of heat to the main Tokyo train station.. destination Kyoto.

Shinkansen - the famous bullet train. Tokyo to Kyoto in 2.5 hours and costing about 130 uk pounds... thats expensive but what a service. The train on the platform is surprising as it is low and sleek. You board the train at foot level and the ceiling of the train is not much taller than me. There are about 15 carriages on this one and the first three are for non-reserved seats... ie for the disorganised traveller like me. Luckily i get a window seat. The rows are organised like an Airbus 320. 3 seats on one side and 2 on the other. There are large windows on each side so one can soak up the landscape whizzing past at 300 kmh. Its outrageously quick. These trains run every 15 or 20 minutes from Tokyo so you can imagine how many trains are servicing this rail network at any one time.

The countryside is quite diverse, ranging from pretty coastal towns to farmed fields to industrial installations and small towns. Pass through Nagoya after about an hour and 1.5 hours later we get to Kyoto. What a wonderful travelling experience. Such a smooth and fast ride.

For once in my life i decided to book my hostel in advance, so i yomp the short distance from the main train station to my hostel and check in.

23/08/2010 - Fish Market and Mount Fuji

Early start today. Got out of bed at around 6 am, after very little sleep (maybe 4 hours). Got the metro down to the famous fish market at Tsujiki and arrived before 8 am. The fish market itself is at the back of the rest of the market. The boats offload at the pier, the fish is bought and sold in bulk and then its prepared by an army of fishmongers and packers and hurried away to various locations around the city. Was really fascinating to walk around and see the many varieties of fish, shellfish, squid, octopii, seaweed, etc.  Massive tuna were expertly handled, sawn, and hacked into shape, ending in a beautifully fresh end product..  the pride of any Sashimi restaurant. The scale of everything was amazing. As i made my way back through the marketplace, I stopped by a noodle kiosk for brunch and stood in line with 5 or 6 japanese people as the staff expertly distributed the broth, noodles, sauces, finely chopped spring onion and slices of pork amongst the bowls. It just felt so wonderful to be slurping away at that time in the morning in real authentic Tokyo local style. Great stuff.

Once back at the station, I headed over to Shinjuku station to catch a bus to Mount Fuji.  As usual i hadnt checked or booked anything in advance but i managed to be lucky enough to get the last seat on the bus that was due to leave in 5 minutes. Slept a little on the bus. Arrived at the 5th base station of Mt Fuji about 2 hours later, fairly refreshed.

The climb up the volcano was long and arduous. The lower portion of the climb was walking up fairly easy paths through dense forest but soon this was replaced by 30 - 40 % scree slopes or igneous rock steps. The climbing was nothing new to me. I had done 18 days in Annapurna of similar intensity.  It took 4 hours to get to the top, upon which i found a bench to collapse on and promptly fell asleep for 40 minutes. I spent about 30 minutes walking around and photographing the crater, then made my descent. In some ways this was harder. The ground was very slippy and i kept falling over. It was also very hard on the knees. The descent took about 3 hours. The return journey to Tokyo was different than coming as the last bus left at about 3 pm. I had to catch a bus and then 2 trains. Overall journey time about 3 hours, making for a very very long day...

22/08/2010 - Imperial Palace and Ginza

After some money troubles, long story not very interesting, head down to the Imperial Palace in the centre of Tokyo. Actually its more like a park. It used to house an impressive palace and keep but it got burnt down in a great fire and wrecked by an earthquake, as well as bombed during WW2.

I decided to head down to Ginza, this is the 5th Avenue of Tokyo - retail mecca of Japan. As all of the major areas in Tokyo, the scale of everything is amazing. Skyscrapers everywhere and so many people. Visit the Sony Centre shop, basically its more a showcase of all of Sonys products, on 4 or 5 floors. They had a major presentation on 3D video technology, using underwater video as the content. Was impressive. On the ground floor just outside the shop they have a large aquarium with some large fish.

Restaurants very expensive. Duck into a back street and chow down with some of the locals on some noodles then decide to head back to the hotel. Later on in the evening, take a stroll around Shinjuku. Again the place is on a massive scale. Buy some takeaway sushi and eat in on a bench while watching the world go by.

Having an early night tonight as tomorrow will head out early to visit the fish market, and then catch the bus to Mount Fuji.

21/08/2010 ー Ueno

Big national park area in the north of the city, featuring a number of museums and temples. Visit the National Museum, spending a few hours looking at asian artifacts, lots of very sharp looking samurai swords, military uniforms, silkwork, and other artwork. A welcome escape from the chaotic hot hustle of the big city. Sleep finally catches up with me. I take a quick nap in the foyer and wake up an hour later,  surprisingly refreshed. Take a ride down to Kanda station, late in the afternoon and soak up the atmosphere walking in the markets selling everything from shoes to pocket radios, fresh fruit to figurines.

As the sun sets I duck into a small restaurant. There is a 3 sided bar, surrounding the central cooking area. 3 guys in the kitchen hail my entrance with a kind of chant. Ok then. One of the guys urges me to buy something from what appears to be a cigarette machine in the corner. Its ok i tell him confidently, I dont smoke. He insists and as I take a closer look the cigarette is actually a meal ticket machine. But its all in Japanese and there are no pictures. Obviously looking like a dog thats been shown a card trick, one of the blessed cooks comes over and helps me through the process of ordering some dinner.  I go for a small beer and some udon noodles. They turn out to be the best noodles ive ever tasted, delivered in a tasty broth, with a portion of pork belly and a duck egg. Watching some of the other customers, I garnish the dish with some extra dry chilli. Simply delicious.

JAPAN 20/08/2010

Ok so managed to negotiate for 4 weeks unpaid leave as an aspect of my conversion to permanent employee, so i decided to go to Japan.

First day of travelling was a stressful nightmare. I had to fly from Zurich to Gatwick and connect to a flight from Heathrow to Tokyo.  The first Easyjet flight was late to depart and as a consequence, i nearly missed the bag drop deadline (4 minutes to spare), then had to run to the gate to get on the plane. Flight was excellent actually although of course very long (about 12 hours).  As is usually the case, I didnt sleep for the entire flight which departed around 2 pm GMT and arrived in Narita, Tokyo at 930 am the following morning.  Caught a bus from the airport terminal into town, hoping just to spontaneously find a hotel or hostel to book into. However i quickly discovered this was going to be much harder than i thought. Hardly anyone spoke English and I had real trouble even finding hotels. I walked around in a daze with my backpack on my back for about 4 hours, trying to find somewhere that had rooms.

Eventually managed to locate somewhere. Took a single room instead of a dorm room, at a price of 7000 yen (90 quid). I expected something quite lavish but actually it was tiny. This was a sign of things to come. Japan is extraordinarily expensive. I think its a combination of natural capital city high prices plus the effect of a very poor exchange rate. In the city bars, a pint is about 12 quid, cocktails even more.  A quick meal is normally not less than 10 pounds.  Anyway i will stop moaning now.

Met a guy called Alex in the hostel who told me he had just got back from climbing Mount Fuji, so will bear that in mind a try to organise something later in the week. After dropping my bag off in the room and getting a shower i resist the overwhelming desire to sleep and head for the subway. I want to visit a few sites, including the National Museum. Subway systems and maps extremely difficult to work out. Many of the maps and signs are only in Japanese. Make a few mistakes and have to rely on the help and quick thinking of a couple of guards... but after a while i start to work things out.