Our Osaka Holiday

We needed to do something between rugby games and the 400km ride on the Shinkansen to Osaka seemed like a good holiday idea. 

We have a full time guide with us and once off the train we were on our way to the Osaka Castle, a not so humble abode built in 1583. Built as a defence position by one lot of Japanese to save themselves from being attacked by other Japanese it had a number of triumphs but also a number of defeats. It’s been burnt down and knocked down during attacks but the greatest mishap was when lightning struck the gunpowder store in 1660, causing an explosion and fire.There are several of these castles in Japan and they seem to be mostly the same.

After our train ride and an afternoon of walking we arrived at our hotel to find that our luggage hadn’t arrived. (It was sent in a truck rather than us have to lug it onto the train and then to the hotel). It seemed the decent thing to do would be to partake in some Heineken beer seeing as they sponsor the World Cup Rugby. I ordered 2 glasses and sat down with the rest of the crew very satisfied with our day. Bags arrived, time for a shower but better pay for the beers first. $19 each!! This is a 300ml glass!. I wrote to Heineken to thank them for sponsoring the Cup but telling them that some pubs think their product is worth far more than the average kiwi thinks. I won’t get caught like that again.

We had a free day following so a few of us organised a whisky tasting outing with lunch that turned out very well. We tasted 5 whiskies each but as some of the crew weren’t overly impressed some of us managed 8 or 10 tastes. Not the best of ideas in the middle of the day and definitely not best followed by a visit to one of the higher buildings in Osaka. We took lifts to a viewing deck 175m high so we could see out over the city. Bit higher than the Post Office building in Blenheim but not as high as the Sky Tower (or has that burned down??).

Hardly a "Hustler"

Our second free day saw us on a walking tour amid the millions of natives here. Surprisingly, for the number of people in this country it doesn’t really seem overcrowded. There a few people who still ride their bike on the footpath among the pedestrians…and no one cares, they just step politely out of their way. Makes me smile to think that in Blenheim there are walkers who are trying to prohibit cyclists on our riverside walking tracks. Another observation of the cyclists here sees that no one has their seat set at the length of their leg. So they appear to be pedalling in a sitting down fashion, never getting the full benefit of their leg power. I must check the success of Japanese in the cycling events at the Olympics. I’m guessing it will be meagre pickings.

From Osaka we took an hour long bus ride to Kyoto the old capital for a sightseeing day. I didn’t get too excited as we were in out of the bus to view temples, shrines and pagodas. But it seemed to be a nice enough city from the bus window.

We did have an organised lunch here with a traditional lunch menu, I think a Christmas type meal. Made note to self not to stay for Christmas. It started well with sashimi. Some of rest I found inedible, the first time that any of the food put in front of me that has been graded in that category. Dozens of small dishes with a lot of gelatinous offerings. One looked like an eyeball!  Some of the strangest textures we have encountered in our travels. Putrid doesn’t start to describe the flavour of some of them. A good experience all the same and prepared with the usual Japanese love for what they do and attention to detail. As we entered the restaurant we encountered a robotic large trolley moving down the hallway!!

Near the end of our meal we had the opportunity to be entertained, meet and talk to a Maiko (apprentice Geisha).She was 17 years old and quite happy to talk to us through our interpreter or directly back to us where her English allowed. It was really interesting to learn about the life she is leading. They learn to perform songs, dances and play instruments for their guests. About a 5 year apprenticeship but our Maiko was not sure if she would continue to the Geisha level as she is “not allowed to fall in love”.

Our last journey back into Tokyo was by Shinkansen bullet train where we have returned to a previously visited hotel (seemed like coming home) and will stay 3 nights as we take in the last two games. Tonight we expect the All Blacks to perform outstandingly well in beating Wales and tomorrow I don’t care who wins as long as it isn’t England.

Then on Sunday morning we begin the journey home, arriving midday for us 5^th Nov back in Blenheim.

Devastation at Yokohama Stadium

Our journey back from Nikko to Tokyo was about 200kms and 8 hours of travel including a quick stop for okonomiyaki for lunch. Oko…is a bowl of cabbage with an egg and some diced pork mixed together, some noodles on top then flipped over. All cooked on a hotplate like Bar-b-que for 20 minutes, then mayo and sauce pasted on top - very tasty. The travel is often slow despite fast trains on a regular schedule, generally not more than 10 minutes apart. Our major hurdle which we have failed to clear is the signage. Getting out a stop too soon and travelling 2 stops too far on a regular basis ensures that travelling takes far longer than necessary! But it has been fun and as we are aware, if you are left on the platform here then you will see another train very soon, in New Zealand it may not be until the next day.

Hotel View

Back in Tokyo we checked in to the Grand Nikko Hotel which indeed was grand. Here we met the Williment tour we had booked on to ensure that we had tickets to semi’s and finals of the Rugby World Cup. 

We had a day tour of the city on Friday and it was pouring with rain from the tail end of another typhoon so we just had a brief look at sights through the bus window and a short walk at the city’s most famous temple, Sensoji Temple. This is a Buddhist prayer house dating from the year 630 and has 30 million visitors a year now.

Our trip is called “the Business End Tour” by Williment and we were in a positive mood as we boarded local trains to the game. We had a guide at this stage so we negotiated the 4 track changes well and crammed into cars full of All Blacks and English supporters along with a few mystified locals. We had a pint of Heineken to support the sponsors and were in our seats before kick off, still positive and probably even more confident than when we boarded the train. Two minutes into the game and a slight crack appeared in the confidence. By half time time the crack was a little wider but we knew Steve Hansen would sort things out at half time and we would be back in this fixture in a few minutes and prove ourselves worthy of a place in the final. But not to be, a sad business end tour limped home. We needed victim support and medication. Medication was liberally administered in liquid form while psychological support came by way of giving an English fan a hug. By all accounts this really had a positive effect on one’s view of the world but I can’t say I tried out. I went for the cold turkey method and am slowly coming right.

Disappearing highway

Today we are on our way to Osako for three nights, first class in a Shinkansen (Bullet) train. It travels at about 250k/hr and certainly more comfortable than an airliner. It has heaps of leg space, very comfy recline seats, big windows and you don’t have to turn your phone off as you come into a station.

A Walk In the Woods

View from our balcony

We awoke in our rather salubrious hotel in Kinugawaonsen Hotel to the gentle pitter patter of moisture on our balcony. But, the day can’t be lost so we headed off in our raincoats, their second outing of our tour. We rode the train back to Nikko, a UNESCO World Heritage site town with a number of temples and shrines. These people aren’t very religious and we don’t hear church bells or the calling of the imam but they are very honest, polite and trustworthy. We resorted to hunting for geocaches among the temples and avoided paying entrance fees at almost every turn. I posed in front of the Shinkyo Bridge, about 250 years old as are the temples, with the obligatory Japanese finger salute. Not our best day out but we must never let a chance go by.

 Been said before I know but our second full day at Nikko dawned fine and clear with a 2% chance of rain. We headed up the valley to a small lake, Lake Yumoto. At 5000 feet above sea level this would put us a good way up Mt Egmont (8260 feet asl). The higher altitude had obviously brought on a few more frosts and the trees were turning their autumn colours and really looked picturesque, biscuit tin lids and calendars everywhere. We took a hundred photos I’m sure, it really was a delight. 

This walk was most unlike our last walk in Japan where we wandered along a 600 year old passage between two cities. This was Tongariro crossing stuff (not that we have done that and not that this was at the same altitude) but it was more in the wilds. A few others walking, far more puffing than us and very few birds and one monkey were all we saw of wildlife. I had hoped to see a herd of Sika deer which are becoming a pest due to high numbers. The forest is mostly deciduous trees of beech and oak with a few evergreen fir and thuja for contrast. I did spot a few silver birch trees which I dislike because they look so cold and deathly during winter when their foliage has all dropped. We did see rhododendron growing wild and it would have had white flowers if we had been here a few months sooner. 

While it was an 8 hour adventure half of that was taken up travelling in buses or trains or waiting for said vehicles. But it was a beaut day out. The road near the lake split into two roads - one way 2 lanes up and one way down. We thought the way up was pretty steep but the way down was unbelievable. 48 fairly short switchbacks big enough for 40 seater buses. It was pretty amazing and a very busy up and back tourist route.

4 hours of walking but 4 hours of buses and trains!

Back home to our fairly luxurious hotel the onsen beckoned as a means to alleviate the aching muscles (what few of them we have). I tried a quick rum but that didn’t really make any difference so down to the onsen we both went, Diana through the pink curtain, me through the blue. I’m feeling reasonably confident now in my nakedity so strip off, wash down at the milking station and head for the outdoor hot tub. Whoa..!!!, there are over a dozen men in here and I note a sidelong glance from each of them. I’m feeling like a polar bear in Soweto as I climb gingerly into the hot water and try to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. Not easy, there is a lot of chatter and I am presuming it is something to do with the size of my pecker or the fact that I’m circumcised. The polar bear has a sunburnt face but at least I am in the water now. What are they talking about, I smile and gesture as politely as possible and am very pleased when most of them leave within a few minutes. I am sure they aren’t talking about me personally as we are all on the same level in our birthday suits and what you got is what you have…men don’t do botox do they?

So an hour in the onsen and then dinner at the buffet station finished a perfect day out.

Time to watch rugby

We spent most of the day with Yumi and her family. Her and Yusuke picked us up from our hotel and took us to their house a few kilometres away where Yusuke (a professional chef) made our lunch. Magnificent spread with several species of raw fish, oddly, very edible. We had a wonderful time with Yumi, her 3 children (all very shy…as most Japanese seem to be) and Yusuke before he went off to work. Their home and living room is very similar to us at home however their sleeping space was one big room where all five of them slept together. We didn’t get taken there but it sounded a bit different from home.

After that it was towards Tokyo and while we were in the built-up area, it wasn’t Tokyo City. We stayed at Machida, took a train and the subway and had a catch up with Peter and Linda Keach. Peter was my boss when I worked for PF Olsen and like Diana and I they enjoy travelling in NZ and overseas. Later that day we got excited as we had tickets to the Brave Blossoms versus Springboks. We were hoping for an upset win to the Brave Blossoms and it seemed so were South Africa but Rassie must have had different thoughts and during the half time talk told them to change the plan. The Japanese crowd were amazingly supportive and dignified in defeat. I think they will now support the All Blacks.

To get to this game we had to use trains and subway and several changes on the way…this is not easy. This is something of a matter of luck, best guesses and prayers (which I don’t think will be honoured due to a lack of repentance). Getting from A to B has been a challenge almost every day. “B” is difficult to determine as our maps are not in English and many signs do not have an English version. At times we have been on the subway, a train is waiting and we run hoping it is going where we want. Once underway we watch the little blue dot on Google maps hoping that the dot is heading in the right direction. But as we didn’t know precisely where “A” was to start with we are struggling. Even when we know we have arrived at the right Station there are so often so many exits or entry points for different lines in all directions – we must look pretty woeful as people often offer to help us which is really nice. Surprisingly, despite not knowing where we have come from and unsure where we are heading we haven’t gone too far wrong…but there is always tomorrow.

So our first game of rugby out of the way and the All Blacks comfortably into the semis it was time for some R&R in the mountains north of Tokyo. We headed 2.5 hours north to Kinugawa Onsen, very near Nikko. This is a hot water town and we have given the onsen a bash with similar experiences as before. Diana has noted one good thing about sharing your bathing experience in an onsen is that gravity plays no part for those who have a D cup….until you have to step out that is!! Not sure I will go further into that discovery but I am sure you ladies get the drift. 

Our hotel is magnificent, on the 10^th storey with balcony to the river BUT no bed!! A hotel without a bed had us a little concerned but while away to dinner on the first night we arrive back in our room for bedding on the floor. Camping! But I thought very comfy. Diana put 2 futons together and was happy. We intend to walk in the Nikko National Park for a couple of days. There are mountains, waterfalls, lakes and vast plateaus. There are numerous walking tracks and we will try to conquer a couple of them in the next day or two. Fortunately there is the onsen at the end of the day to soak away any aches and pains, and a glass of rum if necessary.

Takamatsu to Oiso via Nagoya

 We had 2 nights in Takamatsu so we took a 2 hour train ride west to the capitol Matsuyama as a day trip. The major attraction was a castle that was built in early 1600. It is quite magnificent towering over the city with views to all corners of the compass and amazingly fortified. It has been through some hard times with lightning strike and fire, followed by arsonists and then the Americans used it for target practice during the 2nd world war. We spent quite a while walking through gates on different levels and climbing inside the well restored wooden building to the highest turrets.

We left Takamatsu northward at a reasonably high speed…..on the train. I can’t get over how good the train service is, clean, fast, right on time and very comfortable. I guess a population of 126 million helps with the economics of running these things. Our JR (nothing to do with the Ewings) pass has been of great value over the past week.

We stopped in Nagoya so that we could take an excursion into the countryside, away from the street lights and cement, and do some walking in the hills. On alighting from the bus we are walking the 100mtrs to the trail start in the small town. Sitting outside a shop was Peter Keach a friend we had cycled the Otago Rail trail with. We knew he and wife Linda were in Japan and had been arranging to meet them in Tokyo but had no idea where they were. What were the chances of that!! Unbelievable. We headed off on a short walk from Magome to Tsumago which is part of the Nakosendo Trail that ran through the country hundreds of years ago. Not unsimilar to the Awaroa trail that was brought to life a few years ago! We walked 8 km without too many others and enjoyed the bush, cedar trees and the lack of people but a bit disappointed in the deafening sound of birdsong which did not materialise.

Before we left Nagoya earlier today we had time to have a look through the Toyota Commemorative Museum and see where all our Corollas and Camrys came from. Old Mr. Toyoda was on to it and had a few yen behind his name with a very successful weaving and spinning factory. He got a bit interested in motor vehicle back in the 30’s and when his son completed a degree in mechanical engineering he started going places. I thought it interesting that when he needed components he seemed to angle towards buying the company that could supply him. At the moment Toyota own over a dozen companies most of which are internationally recognised. We took a photo of their first production saloon “Crown” – a motor car for the people.

Another fast train has brought us from Nagoya to Oiso where we will stay one night so that we can catch up with a young lady called Yumi. She came to our hostel about 25 odd years ago and of all the 45,000 people that came through our hostel over 26 years she stands out as being one of the most humble, patient and understanding people who visited. She is now married and has 3 children so it will be interesting to see how her life has evolved.

Takamatsu and the Onsen

We jumped hurriedly on the bullet train from Hiroshima today but we hardly left the station when a grumpy conductor told us we weren’t allowed on that train and told us to get off at the next station. In a stroke of luck we were only going one stop, about 100 kms though. We’d better read the red notices of our Rail Pass more clearly!!

Takamatsu is something of a small non-descript town on the island of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s main islands. We are using it as a base for 2 nights to journey around the Island tomorrow.

We checked into our hotel after an hour walking in Ritsurin Garden which is world famous on this island. Quite nice, very Japanesey, no surprises there with quaint little bridges and bonsai type conifer (pine) trees. I think Pukekura Park in New Plymouth was better and I spent a fair bit of time there as a school boy…they even have a Japanese Bridge.

Back in the hotel, checked in and it is time to check out the “onsen”. This is usually a hot spring but ours on the 11^th floor didn’t seem to have quite that authenticity. First shock was that it was segregated, not blacks and whites but boys and girls. No worries, I didn’t have my camera anyway. First up you get yourself starkers, a bit uncomfortable in front of others these days but I’ll never see them again…and no one laughed, very polite the Japanese. You then need to wash completely so you line up at a booth similar to a modern dairy unit. Stainless steel piping, concrete wash away flooring and shampoo and conditioner. I was expecting to see teat salve on the shelf, but no. Mind you the ladies may have had it although I’ll never know due to the aforementioned segregation rule. The pool was 4m by 3m and about 400mm deep. (Roughly 15 inches for those still in imperial) and 40 degrees. I had 15 minutes of that, a quick rinse at the milking station then into the sauna for 5 minutes at 98 degrees. Another rinse and back in the big pool for 10 minutes and I’m well and truly cooked. I stood up to get out but most of my blood stayed in my lower body so I took things easy waiting for redistribution of blood. Another wash, and out to the changing room…carefully. I am very light headed and my muscles (if that’s what they are called now) seemed wasted, used up. I have never run a marathon but think I would feel like this (probably at the 10k mark!). I walk carefully sure that if my right leg gives out there is no way my left leg will recover me. I’m walking nimbly like a ballerina waiting for my strength to return. I am fairly pleased with myself stepping out of my comfort zone and gaining another experience but when I get to the lift and can’t read the numbers I realise I left my glasses in the pool area and need to go back. I’m not allowed in that room with my clothes on but due to my delicate state I’m not taking all my clothes off again so ease back in hoping no one notices. I did get a dirty look from someone I hadn’t seen before but what the hell, I’ll never see him again….not naked anyway!!!

The Land of the Rising Sun

Japan has been good for us so far. A bit windy due to the departing typhoon but not enough to put us off our game. Fukuoka was far enough south to avoid damage and allowed us to have our first day in Japan. Our first taxi ride in a Toyota 'Comfort' taxi (their own retro model), time to collect our rail pass and get ourselves prepared for the journey ahead.

Our first dining experience was different. Recommended (by Blair) that we try “ramen” we googled a likely spot and began the struggle. Turns out we had to buy a ticket, give that to a man, then proceed to a cubicle each (a bit like a betting window at the races). We fill out a “betting sheet”, I circled all options, green onions, chilli, garlic, pork and waited. Waitress back 2 minutes later to the ‘window’. I am provided with a bowl of broth, noodles and all the things I ticked. Tasty, it was very nice. We attacked with chop sticks and a soup spoon and cleaned the bowl. You then depart feeling somewhat guilty that you had eaten secretly, on your own, alone, by yourself. No words were spoken, tummy was full, we left the building, brushed ourselves off and carried on as if nothing had happened. A strange dining experience.

Hotel rooms are very small in Japan. They hardly have enough room to get our suitcase open and the bathrooms are about the size of the bathroom in our motorhome. Interestingly they have a modern set up on the toilet with an arm along the right hand side akin to a “collective” on a helicopter. This is the lever kitted out with switches that makes the helicopter rise and go faster. Well, these toilets have a thing like that which activates a water force on your bum, shower, squirt, change temperature and even “feathering”. I have had a go at all settings, including “kids” but can’t say it is the way forward. The warming of the seat though certainly could take off on those cold winter nights for when one has to sit down.

Transporting people between cities they definitely have sorted. Trains are the way to go. They leave the station every 30 mins or so, can travel up to 300 kms per hour, have very comfortable reclining seats and leg room suitable for basketball players. There is no clickety click but just an inspiring whoosh as they power off. This is called the Shinkansen or ‘Bullet train’.

We have had two nights in Hiroshima mainly to allow us to visit the Peace Park. There is a large sobering museum close to the site where the atomic bomb was detonated 600 metres above the ground 6 August 1945. Temperatures reached 3000 degrees Celcius and naturally (or unnaturally) almost everything was burned to a cinder. There were several stories of how families, and people, suffered from the effects of a nuclear bomb. Despite an active build up of nuclear armament after this initial activation, and another 3 days later in Nagasaki, it appears that this isn’t the answer to peace in the World. Fortunately the powers that be have taken action to reduce their number of bombs.

Survived building in the background

We managed to watch Ireland wipe away the Samoan rugby world cup effort despite having only 14 men, in “Mollie Malones”, an Irish pub in the middle of Hiroshima. A good smattering of Irish who took to drinking “Jagermeister” shots submerged and in a glass of Red Bull and skulling them following every Irish try. As expected there was a smattering result on the pavement following the match but it was all in good spirits and a lot of fun.

Our dining experience today was also different. An English lad at the pub recommended Okonomiyaki so after the Museum we let Google do the searching. Great just 100 metres away we entered a non-descript doorway to see a 4 mt long hotplate arrangement with perches to eat beside it. A menu in English was a bonus but it was all still a bit of a mystery. The guy sitting next to us had something tasty in front of him so we said we’d have the same. We watched the chef cook and assemble the pancake/noodle/ cabbage/beansprouts/bacon/egg/cheese ensemble brushed with a tasty sauce. Very tasty and we will add that to the repertoire.

We have been very fortunate to be in the West of Japan while the East has taken such a battering from the typhoon. The TV news of the devastation and flooding are just horrendous. They will have got such a lift from the Brave Blossoms winning their rugby game tonight. Tomorrow we take the train a little further east to another island.