Backpacking through South Korea was kind of a dream. I got to see friends and students I hadn't seen in years, and overall, I just fell in love with the country, the scenery, the affordability, and the food. (Minus that octopus).
And then came Japan. I'd dreamed about coming to Japan as a kid, but I haven't written about it much because there were times when I wondered if I would like it at all. THAT is something I don't like feeling because it makes me feel super snobby and seems like I don't appreciate this opportunity to travel, and, yes, I realize most of the world will be headed to work in the morning and not to a little ancient village just for the fun of it. So, if the above statement offends you because you are doing horrible charting processes at the hospital or changing the 15th diaper of the day, I'm sorry, and please forgive these run-on sentences and feelings.
But, thankfully, it turns out I do like Japan; I just do not like Osaka! Osaka felt kind of like NYC, which is a "one and done" place to visit for me. It's crowded, it's expensive, and the things to do there are mostly city-things like shopping and looking out from the highest floor of buildings. Hordes and hordes of people were in all markets, shopping centers, and metro stations. For some reason, this doesn't faze me at all when I"m in India, but in Japan, it puts me on sensory overload and I pull Liban's hand and give him the "get me away from here now" look. Thankfully, there were some quieter neighborhoods, and I quite enjoyed those; and of course, there was sushi. Some of the other highlights were the aquarium where we got to see whale sharks and ginormous sting rays and Liban's first ride on a Ferris wheel.
Nearby Osaka is Nara, a small town with a couple cool temples and a really, really big Buddha. There are also "semi-wild" deer all over town that you can feed and pet with a little caution. Now, it's not a petting zoo, and they are still deer and so once or twice we saw them fighting over the food or territory, but it was still cool to see them roaming everywhere. I couldn't help but wonder what all the Midwest hunters would think in a place like Nara!
Kyoto is a little city about 30 minutes away, but we are the geniuses that got on a train we didn't have a pass for, were not allowed to exit the train station, and had to turn back around and get on the correct train. So when we finally got there, at least we had fun exploring. The temples and shrines in Kyoto are gorgeous and unique compared to other areas. It's one of the more traditional towns, and so a lot of tourists were wearing kimonos (traditional dress) while they wandered about the old parts of town. But then at the end of the day, we walked around the old town in search of some geisha and were able to see two briefly. That made me giddy, but Liban just doesn't think they were as great as the bullet trains.
Near Hiroshima is Miyajima Island, with its famous Itsukushima Shrine. It is surrounded by dry land during low tide and by water during high tide, which is supposed to give it a floating effect.
And then came Japan. I'd dreamed about coming to Japan as a kid, but I haven't written about it much because there were times when I wondered if I would like it at all. THAT is something I don't like feeling because it makes me feel super snobby and seems like I don't appreciate this opportunity to travel, and, yes, I realize most of the world will be headed to work in the morning and not to a little ancient village just for the fun of it. So, if the above statement offends you because you are doing horrible charting processes at the hospital or changing the 15th diaper of the day, I'm sorry, and please forgive these run-on sentences and feelings.
But, thankfully, it turns out I do like Japan; I just do not like Osaka! Osaka felt kind of like NYC, which is a "one and done" place to visit for me. It's crowded, it's expensive, and the things to do there are mostly city-things like shopping and looking out from the highest floor of buildings. Hordes and hordes of people were in all markets, shopping centers, and metro stations. For some reason, this doesn't faze me at all when I"m in India, but in Japan, it puts me on sensory overload and I pull Liban's hand and give him the "get me away from here now" look. Thankfully, there were some quieter neighborhoods, and I quite enjoyed those; and of course, there was sushi. Some of the other highlights were the aquarium where we got to see whale sharks and ginormous sting rays and Liban's first ride on a Ferris wheel.
Kyoto is a little city about 30 minutes away, but we are the geniuses that got on a train we didn't have a pass for, were not allowed to exit the train station, and had to turn back around and get on the correct train. So when we finally got there, at least we had fun exploring. The temples and shrines in Kyoto are gorgeous and unique compared to other areas. It's one of the more traditional towns, and so a lot of tourists were wearing kimonos (traditional dress) while they wandered about the old parts of town. But then at the end of the day, we walked around the old town in search of some geisha and were able to see two briefly. That made me giddy, but Liban just doesn't think they were as great as the bullet trains.
Near Hiroshima is Miyajima Island, with its famous Itsukushima Shrine. It is surrounded by dry land during low tide and by water during high tide, which is supposed to give it a floating effect.
And then we went to Gifu, where there are beautiful mountains and an amazing view from a castle. The town is known for its traditional cormorant fishing. PETA would hate it, and I'm not really sure how humane it is, but basically, the fisherman go upstream and tie small ropes around cormorant ducks' necks, then toss them in the water. The ducks swim and pull the boat towards the fish. I don't really understand the rest of it, but I do know that having a ball of fire as a lantern on the front of a little canoe makes it a fascinating thing to watch!
Now, we are in Takayama, another little city in the mountains. There's not much to write about here as we've just been roaming around enjoying the old traditional houses and views. Overall, we are just glad that there are maps and signs around town in both English and Japanese because Gifu's did not. . . . and we tend to be a happier couple when there are English signs!
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