Yesterday started earlier for B as he had to go to the train station before us. Why you might ask? Because he decided to launder his rail passes which was in his pocket when we did the washing the previous evening. Big signs up at the train station saying “We won’t replace your pass if you lose it, have it stolen or you wash it”. Given the cost, B reckoned it was important to try. Fortunately he was behind a New Zealander who had done the same thing and he spent 5 minutes arguing (and won) and so when B got to the counter they didn’t even argue – they just replaced it.

M & I walked to the train station (about 20 minute walk – 1.8km) and got there with enough time to go to Starbucks to get a coffee for me and sandwich and hot chocolate for M. We then had to take a train to Shinosaka (25 minutes local railway that traveled at 130km/h) and then at Shinosaka we changed onto the shinkansen to Hiroshima (which took 1.5 hours). About halfway in they apologised that the train was running slower than usual due to some work on the line and so we would arrive 3 minutes late into Hiroshima. We actually arrived only 1 minute late – some bloke probably got fired.

At Hiroshima we only wanted to see where the atomic bomb had been dropped. There is a series of monuments at Hiroshima in Peace Park. We could fortunately take a bus there (there is a sightseeing round trip bus from the train station which was included in our rail passes). We got off at the Atomic Bomb Dome. This is the exact place that the bomb exploded at 8:15am on 6 August 1945 above 600 meters above the ground. The ground temperatures below rose to 3000-4000 C and instantly killed everyone in the near vicinity. There are descriptions in the museum of people’s hair instantly on fire, people’s eyes popping out and very other gruesome results. Most of the buildings were instantly destroyed as well but because the bomb explored directly above this building, you can see that some of the structure remained and it has been preserved as a reminder of the bomb exploding.

What really struck me about all the monuments is how they talk about it being a monument to poor leadership and the results thereof. I doubt many other countries in the world would be prepared to so openly admit that it was their own fault. On one plaque they basically said this should stand as a lesson to future leaders and a reminder to all the people of Japan that if you elect and support poor leaders then this can be the result.

Whole park area was full of tourists and a number of school tours. There is a monument to all the children that were killed in the blast (many of them were working in factories at the time to support the war effort). The one school was singing a song at the monument when we walked past. We noticed that many of the school kids were talking to foreigners and then shortly after that a whole group approached us and asked (in English) whether we could answer some questions. They each had a line to ask in English (read off their books) after they introduced themselves. They asked where we were from (and we had to mark it off on the map – they were quite excited when we said SA) and why we came to Hiroshima. They asked us to write down our names and then gave us a gift from their home town and encouraged us to visit. It was very sweet. We regretted to not having taken a photo with them though.

The museum has all the names of the 320000 people killed through the bomb over time – about 120000 of those were immediate. It has photographs of all the ones they could find and brief accounts of their lives and how they were killed. There is also a round room with what Hiroshima looked like in October 1945 which they have compiled from photographs taken by US soldiers. I reckon those soldiers probably died later from cancer of some sort as they didn’t know the effects of the radiation. It is quite staggering to see the damage and destruction. There is also a movie relating the tale of the day from a few different people’s perspectives and an especially moving one from a school kid who eventually died 3 days after the bomb went off. Having seen the destruction I am staggered that it took two bombs to force a surrender from Japan. There is a cenotaph in the park which also has a flame burning in it. They will burn the flame until all nuclear weapons are destroyed.

We headed back to the train station on the bus and saw a little more of Hiroshima on the way back. There was only one remaining bridge after the war and we drove over it on the way back. They said most of the bridges had been bombed out prior to the A-bomb attack but whatever few were left were then destroyed on that day except this one. It was 2pm already at this point and we needed lunch so we had a traditional Japanese lunch from Lion Burger! All three of us really felt like a burger and chips and so that is exactly what we had. They were very nice burgers as well (and probably the most expensive ones I have ever eaten).

There was a shinkansen train on the platform when we arrived but it wasn’t the train we were booked on. We could see that in the non-reserved carriage there were plenty of seats so we thought we would take it instead and get back earlier. Big mistake. It stopped at numerous places on route and eventually arrived an hour later than our original train which left 20 minutes afterwards. In addition, it was slowed down by a ‘Human accident’ on the line so that didn’t help either. We got back into Kyoto at 6:30pm and then walked back to our AirBnB – just stopping on route to buy some stuff for another stir-fry dinner (we did pork this time but still cooked by Michael).

Until tomorrow …

P, B & M

B went for an early morning run and then kindly went to get us some coffee yesterday morning. It seems Japanese don’t drink coffee for breakfast as the ‘Coffee on the Go’ place in the same road as us doesn’t open until 11am and the again it was closed on Wednesdays as well! He did find another place but didn’t think to check the price and came back with R66 coffees (and no it wasn’t the best coffee we have drunk in our lives). I cooked some eggs for breakfast but realised midway through that there are no knives in the AirBnB at all. Tough to eat french toast (which M wanted) without a knife. Only option is to cut the bread with a fork. Really odd that they don’t have knives at all.

We headed out to walk to Kiyomizu-dera. It is a Unesco World Heritage site and was founded in 778 (no I am not missing a 1 in front). The current set of buildings were built in 1633 (modern version clearly). It is a series of shrines. It is quite a walk to get there for a number of reasons. Firstly it was 45 minutes from our AirBnB. Secondly, it was uphill (it is on the hills overlooking Kyoto) and thirdly, it was us and 1 million other people doing the same thing. At least we knew we were going in the right direction!

A number of Japanese seem to make the visit and a lot of them in full traditional dress (both men and women). There are also a lot of school tours. I discovered afterwards that one reason for this is because the Jishu Shrine is there which is dedicated to the god of love (Okunisnushi) and good matches. Apparently there are two stones placed 19 feet apart (we didn’t see this because we couldn’t bring ourselves to pay for entrance in the shrines) and if you can walk between with your eyes closed then you will find love. If you need assistance to do it then you will need assistance to find love (a middle man will be required). Of course the person helping you could also be the person you find love in. Which explains why so many young couples were entering.

We walked back down to through Gion which is the geisha district. As it was late morning there were only a few giesha around (probably on their way to work) and most of the restaurants and bars in the area were closed still. It is alongside the river so was quite a pretty walk. We then went to Edion (which is a large electronics store in Kyoto) – 5 floors and a lot more than just electronics actually. We then headed back into the Nishiki market to Artisugu which is a Japanese knife store in the market. It crafts some of the knives in store even. Some of the knives available for sale cost R100000 ($7000)! I suspect if you bought one of those you could pass the knife down to your grandchild eventually. They had a cheese grater which cost R1000.

It was lunchtime and so we went to find a gyoza restaurant. The place we went to only had 3 options on the menu and basically the only thing that changed was how many pieces you got and whether you got rice & miso soup with it or not. It was a very small place and clearly frequented by locals mainly. It was called Sukemasa (http://sukemasa.kyoto/). They were really good (and filling given we had 12). We were pretty exhausted by this point and so headed back to the AirBnB for a quick nap and rest.

Late afternoon B and I went to the train station to book tickets for our trip today and for the next day. Unfortunately the only place to do that in Kyoto is seemingly at the main station so a 30 minute walk (there and back – hour round trip) was the only option. Feet (and in my case ankles) are very sore! We did stop at supermarket to get ingredients for another stir fry for dinner – stuck with chicken but changed up the vegetables and noodles (went with brown wheat noodles). B & I let M cook again – we were too tired to get up!

Until tomorrow …

P, B & M

We left Tokyo yesterday to travel to Kyoto. We also said goodbye to D as he was flying back to New York. His flight left at 3pm but he also wanted to do some shopping so he headed out at around 9am. The rest of us left at 10am (check out time of AirBnB). We did the 15 minute walk to Omori station (and I was sweating profusely by that time) and then 2 stops on the train to Shinagawa (pronounced, if you’re wondering, as Shi-na-ga-wa – said slowly with almost a brief pause between each syllable). We took the shinkansen (bullet train) from there to Kyoto. It took 2 hours 35 minutes. It is just over 450 kms and included 5 stops along the way. The fastest we tracked the speed was around 290 km/h.

It is very organised to board the train. You know your exact seat and carriage number and your exact board point is marked at a gate. In standard class there are 5 seats across (3 & 2) and so we had 3 seats next to each other. The trains are always on time. Over the whole of last year, the average delay was 42 seconds (not kidding). If the train is over 5 minutes delayed, the railway company will issue you with a formal letter stating the delay and the reasons. This is necessary because if you arrived at work late and stated ‘My train was delayed’ no one would believe you. Imagine that happening in the UK – they would be producing letters every day! If the train is delayed for an hour or more it makes the newspaper. The majority of train delays are due to power failures, typhoons, fires in nature (i.e. not related to the railway). Management don’t survive if the train delay is due to operational reasons of the train company.

We arrived in Kyoto at 1:45pm and as we hadn’t eaten lunch yet we found a restaurant nearby the station. It struck us immediately that Kyoto seems to be a much more modern city than Tokyo. Seems strange to say that but it really does come across that way. The station is like arriving at any major western city station – major mall and station concourse. We had probably our best Japanese food so far for lunch. It was a lunch tray which included a soup, main dish & rice, side dish, salad and desert. B & M had sweet & sour pork as their main dish and I had a seafood plate with a side of sweet & sour pork. Each meal cost around Yen1400 (about R200; $14).

We then headed to our AirBnB. The one downside of Kyoto is that the rail network is not as extensive as Tokyo. It means either more walking or using the buses/taxis. We decided to try out the bus (which was covered by our railpass too). We managed to find the right bus queue and get onto the correct bus. We did manage to get off at roughly the right place too (by counting the stops and seeing how close we were on google maps to the AirBnB). We walked the balance of the way to the AirBnB. It is a much more traditional accommodation. It is entirely made of wood with very thin walls (yes even the toilet). The downstairs consists of a small entrance area, kitchenette, lounge, shower & laundry (in one) and toilet. Upstairs basically has 5 beds separate by sliding bamboo doors. 2 of the beds. We discovered last night that all the light switches are in B’s room. He has the one nearest the door – M & I have to go through his room to exit the bedroom.

B & I went out and found a supermarket (much bigger than the ones we had seen in Tokyo at any point) and bought some stuff for dinner (we did a chicken stir fry which M cooked for us) and breakfast. Early evening (before dinner) we decided to walk to the Nishiki Market which is only 800m from our place. It is where the Kyoto chefs buy their produce. The traditional (food market) side was actually being closed (it seems to start closing at 6pm) so we will need to go back at some point in next 2 days before it closes. The Nishiki market is connected into the Teramachi market and that just seems to go on forever and it is a collection of shops selling absolutely anything and everything. We walked around for about 90 minutes and then decided to head back to make supper.

Until tomorrow …

P, B & M

We really feel like we had seen everything in Tokyo itself that we wanted to see and on reading the guidebook that we brought with, it seems we really had seen all the major districts. I had a recommendation that we should go to Kamakura if we had time and so yesterday that is where we headed. It is about an hour south of where we are staying (including a walk to the train station – which is never less than 15 minutes). The train got progressively fuller as we headed to Kamakura and pretty much emptied out there so it clearly is a good place to visit.

We needed a coffee and D found a place that was highly recommended (on whatever app he used). It was an elaborate process to make the coffee because he ground the beans and then slowly wet each filter with the coffee in it and allowed it to drain into a bottle and then transferred into our paper cups. Basically handmade filter coffee.

It is a seaside town and clearly occupied by wealthy people as you could see from the cars parked in the driveways (Porsche, Lexus, Mercedes, BMW etc). It did feel at times like we could have been walking around the Atlantic seaboard in Cape Town. Even the housing styles were similar. We walked down to Yuigahama Beach which is a popular surfing spot. The biggest issue was that the wind was blowing (read howling) off the sea so we just felt sandblasted. The sea was very choppy but amazingly there were people out surfing still. The wind was blowing so hard because the Typhoon was passing the western side of Japan (we are in the east) and the spin off was causing the high winds.

We walked back inland (mainly to get out of the howling gale) and ended up at Hasedera Temple. The Temple was constructed there in 736 (no I didn’t make a typo). It consists of a number of buildings, statutes etc all in the honor of Hase Kannon. It/she/he is housed in the Kannon-do Hall and is 9.18 meters tall and is one of the tallest Buddhist statues in Japan. It has 11 heads (spread around the hall) and apparently this signifies that it listens to all people’s wishes. It is actually a ‘future Buddha’ destined for greatness in the future only – seems like a waste to have visited it today then! The view from the Ocean View Prospect (which is a pathway above the Temple) was over Kamakura and out over the ocean and that was quite beautiful.

We headed back down into the town and by this point we were definitely in need of a beer and lunch. We found a nice looking place called AW Kitchen Garden (http://www.eat-walk.com/en/awkitchen_kamakura/index.html). They had an English menu (that is essential when choosing a restaurant) and one of the waitresses could speak a little English (which also helps). It was a set lunch menu where you could choose a starter and main course (pizza or pasta). B reckons it was the best pasta he has ever had (sorry S!) – it was pretty good. It seems the Japanese know how to copy and perfect everything just not electronic goods.

We were all pretty tired and hot and so we headed back to our AirBnB. B & I did stop on route for a softserve ice cream (which B & I both think was the best softserve ice cream we have ever had) though at R66 it ought to have been! We also stopped at the station to reserve seats on the train we need to take (Shinkansen – bullet train) today. We got back around 4pm to our AirBnB. It was very warm and humid yesterday (around 30 degrees with near to 100% humidity) so we were all pretty tired. I had slept poorly the previous night so I had a quick nap to catch up on some sleep.

B & I went to the local Lawson (convenience store in our language) to buy some dinner. They have ready made meals but they really don’t look anything like what we are used to. With the aid of Google translate we chose two and got some crisps (they make pretty good crisps in Japan too) and headed back to our AirBnB to eat. B said I chose a better option as his pig shin meal was mainly cabbage with a few pieces of pig shin disguising the cabbage. M & D just ate crisps for dinner – they were planning to go get some steamed buns but ended up playing Civilisation VI for a few hours instead.

Until tomorrow …

P, B, M & D

We left our house at 10:15am yesterday. B went for a run before we left and also kindly went to buy some coffees for us. We went to meet some of B’s family in downtown Tokyo for brunch. They suggested meeting at the Imperial Hotel. We had a dispute with the younger members of our foursome about the quickest route there and so we agreed to separate. Of course experience always trumps age – if only they would learn.

D & M went off and found their own place and B & I met up with his family (who live in Manila and had come to watch the rugby for the weekend). There was a food market over the road from the hotel and so we went there and had steak and beer for brunch! We then walked to the Imperial Palace. While you cannot get in (because the Emperor lives there), you can walk around the East garden. We met back up with the other two in the garden. We had already goodbye to B’s family at that point as they were going to watch a game at the Yokohama stadium and it was the early afternoon game. B & I needed some more food and a coffee so we found a Starbucks.

We stumbled onto a Shinto Shrine (same road as the Starbucks). It was called Yasukuni Jinja and it drives away evil spirits. I could think of few that I would like gone (like the losing spirit of the Springboks!) but pretty sure these structures aren’t going to do it. Shinto’s believe humans are basically good (hard to believe that with everything going on in the world today) and that all you need to do is follow a ritual of purification, prayers and offerings to drive away evil spirits. I really wish it was that easy. It was interesting to see people perform the rituals though (including bowing every time you pass a gate).

We then decided to go and see the Tokyo Tower which is a replica (sort of) of the Eiffel Tower (they say ‘inspired by’). It is painted red & white apparently to meet safety standards for planes to see it. On route there we stumbled onto a Hindu temple. There was a lot of incense burning taking place and some interesting statues which are the patrons of children and spirits of still born children or children dying at a young age.

We finally headed to the old fish market in Tokyo to go to Sushizanmai which is apparently one of the top sushi places to eat at in Tokyo. They actually have a chain of restaurants but I was recommended to go to the one in Tsukiji which is where the old fish market was. The place is open 24 hours a day and there is usually a queue to get in. It is multiple floors. After a short while we got a table and then had to figure out how to order the sushi. The staff were friendly and helpful we managed to place an order. Wasabi comes built into the sushi as it is not correct to mix the wasabi into the soy sauce. I am not a big fan of anything hot but this was actually fine except the odd piece which cleared the sinuses. The sushi was very good and very different from what we experience at home (dare I say in a different league). We were also recommended to have Hakkaisan Sake with our sushi (which we also did). It was very good too.

It was actually only around 6pm at this point when we headed back to our AirBnB. We were pretty tired though we very sore legs and feet. 22500 steps for me by the time we got back (B was over 30000 with his run and trip to get coffee). We did make it back just before it started to rain much harder. There is actually a Typhoon off the coast of Japan at the moment (Typhoon Tapah) and it is pushing rain into the island. They are predicting more rain for today and strong winds and large waves. It seems though the Typhoon will miss Tokyo and rather hit land much further north around Sapporo (don’t worry we’re heading south after Tokyo so we should be perfectly safe).

Until tomorrow …

P, B (because the elders do know better), M & D

Yesterday was the big game day for us as it was the SA v NZ game at the Yokohama International Stadium. We decided to leave mid-morning and go to the Kirin Beer factory on route to the stadium. We had read it was one of the main attractions in the area and so thought it was worth the visit. It took us about an hour to get there (15 minute walk to station; 30 minute train; 15 minute walk to factory). Unfortunately you need to pre-book (which we hadn’t done) so we just walked around their gardens and then went to their micro-brewer for a beer and two sharing platters (everything was smoked including a boiled egg).

We headed then for Yokohama which B had read had a waterfront area. When we got off the train D had a missed call from the lost & found about his iPad and so M & him decided to go fetch it (about a 90 minute round trip). B & I stayed in Yokohama and walked along the water area. Yokohama is a lot more modern than where we are staying with high rise buildings. Lots of people out and about. It was noticeable how many young couples (either dating or married) and young families were in the area. Japan is trying to encourage a higher fertility rate as there population is projected to shrink from 120 million today to below 100 million by 2040. The fertility rate is only 1.57 per couple. The government now offers free daycare until age 5.

While there might be a ‘watefront area’, it was really a walkway along the water, an amusepark park with rides for kids, a ferris wheel (like London Eye type but smaller), some street performers and a number of modern shops (including a small mall). B & I found a Starbucks for coffee (we can already see that getting a decent coffee in Japan is going to be a challenge). Lots of rugby supporters around as well all wearing their jerseys with lots of banter every time you see a fellow supporter (we somewhat stand out in Japan).

B had read about the Cupnoodles Museum (not kidding real thing – https://www.cupnoodles-museum.jp/en/) and when pinned our location for M & D to find us we realised it was close by. So we walked there to have a look. I just couldn’t bring myself to pay for a museum on Cupnoodles. I tried to persuade B that a 6-pack of cup noodles would make a great gift for his wife but he didn’t want to spend that much for a gift for her.

We met up with M & D on way back to the station and decided to have an early afternoon lunch of ramen. We found a place nearby that was advertised as having great ramen. It was called Tetsu (https://www.tetsu102.com/shop/yokohama/). You order from a window on the right side. 3 of us ordered the standard ramen (https://www.tetsu102.com/goods/ramen/). You then line up and wait for a space to sit. There are only 16 seats inside and so no lingering when you do finally get in and get your food. It is quite fishy in taste because of the broth but I enjoyed the noodles, meat, bamboo etc that comes in the broth. It is definitely a good Japanese experience.

As we had exhausted everything we wanted to do in Yokohama, we headed for the stadium. On route we experienced a Japanese train being overfilled – part locals, lots of rugby fans. Your personal space being totally invaded seems to result in conversations being struck up and so I got talking to 2 Namibians (in Springbok jerseys) and 2 Canadians (also going to watch the rugby but All Black fans). When we arrived at the stadium we were unfortunately on the wrong side so spent 20 minutes walking around to get to our gate. Security was very efficient and friendly and into the stadium without much hassle.

There were definitely more All Black supporters than Springbok supporters at the game but actually it was predominately attended (maybe 60%) by local Japanese. We had two NZ fans in front of us and we got talking throughout the game with them and enjoyed the banter. They were spending 2 months in Japan (they have tickets for all NZ games, QF, SF and Final). He said they expect to spend NZ$35000 over the 2 months (around R320 000). They are rugby obsessed. They hadn’t taken leave since the previous World Cup (which they also attended for the whole time)! It was a great atmosphere and despite us losing we enjoyed the game and the experience.

We thought it would be a crush to leave the stadium and get on a train so we exited immediately the game was finished. We got ahead of most of the people in the stadium (there were 65000 people present for the game) and managed to get onto a train relatively easily to get back to our AirBnB. 22000 steps later and pretty exhausted!

Until tomorrow …

P, B, M & D