Day: 20
Location: Osaka
Location: Osaka
You last heard from Eddie while we were zipping across to Nara, from Hiroshima for Wakakusa Yamayaki. It may have been said before but with my propensity for pyrotechnics it wasn't hard to convince me that our itinerary should be manipulated to allow us to attend this festival during which fireworks are let off and then a grassy hill is set alight. Emma, Eddie and I stood watching as the fireworks twinkled, boomed and echoed over the valley. As embers turned to a blaze that engulfed the hill, smoke turned the full moon a hazy orange colour.
I'm sure you'll agree that as an Australian it is amazing to see fire in a large open place and know that it is safe.
I'm sure you'll agree that as an Australian it is amazing to see fire in a large open place and know that it is safe.
When the festival was over we strolled back into the busy shopping area of Nara in search of something to quench our thirst. Nara was a bit sparse on the bar front so we came to a Daiso before somewhere to drink.
Daiso is a ¥105 store and when that is said in Japan it means that everything in the store is ¥105. The business model goes like this - a customer walks into the shop in search of one ¥105 item that they need, customers have a series of unexpected 'needs' triggered by the plethora of items available whose purchase is justified by their being ¥105. The customer leaves the store having spent ¥1050 (for simplicity divide ¥ by 100 to get the equivalent in AUD$).You'll be relieved to hear that we did make it to a simple restaurant to end a great evening before walking back for a 'traditional' night's sleep on the Tatami mat floor of our room at a very homely hostel.
The following day we were able to have a free student-guided tour of Nara including more temples. The building that housed a giant 50-odd metre tall Buddha is the largest wooden building of its age in the world. Our very helpful and humble guide, Hiro was very generous with his time and always happy to answer our questions on anything from language to tradition and religious demography of the country.
Arriving in Osaka later that evening for our last two days felt good. It was familiar because of its similarity to Tokyo - interesting metropolitan streets, good food and some places to shop.
At the hostel in Osaka a cleaner named Mr.Yano leads a night out on a Sunday. We joined the group consisting mostly of Australians but including some Canadians, a Belgian and a Brit for dinner and drinks.
Interestingly this was the first instance that really stood out where a Japanese person advocated the attitude taken by many Australian tourists in other parts of Asia - to get drunk overseas with little respect or regard for local culture or custom. Mr.Yano’s imploration to “Get drank!” often accompanied by a ‘thumb’s up’ was the best example of what I’m talking about.
Interestingly this was the first instance that really stood out where a Japanese person advocated the attitude taken by many Australian tourists in other parts of Asia - to get drunk overseas with little respect or regard for local culture or custom. Mr.Yano’s imploration to “Get drank!” often accompanied by a ‘thumb’s up’ was the best example of what I’m talking about.
Mr.Yano stood out because of a broader trend that has been noticeable in Japan which is that almost everything here exists solely to serve the Japanese market. Contrast this with areas in Thailand, Malaysia and I imagine Indonesia where there a whole areas devoted to tourism and for many people speaking English is a key to an income. The difference is evident primarily in language, that is, the number of people who speak English at tourist attractions and the like. I think rightly so, if Japan can retain its language and culture so strongly in times where a lot of traditional culture is at the jeopardy of being tainted by international influence then that is fantastic. I’m not advocating cultural isolationism, just supporting pluralism.
Our first morning in Osaka was thus lost to slumber which was ok and we still managed to visit Osaka Castle. Within the castle was a fairly uninspiring museum although the view from the top of it was quite nice near sunset. In the evening we staggered through the kilometres long shopping arcade of America Mura where stores of all calibres could be found.
This brings us to the 29th and our final day in Japan. With a few errands to run we went to the post office, a few more shops including re-visiting some, another inexplicably closed attraction at Umeda Sky Building and in the evening, Spa World.
Spa world has an indoor water park, gym, multiple masseurs, a hotel, a
hairdresser and two levels of continent-themed spas and saunas. In January the
Asian level was for men and the European level for women. We were sprayed,
splashed, sauna-ed, salted, spa-ed, warmed, cooled, washed, scrubbed, dried and
doused by the time we left at midnight, having arrived at 10pm when the gym and
slides were closed. We have tried a good sample of onsens in Japan and it is
something I think would be great to have in Melbourne, in the winter at least.
I have wondered whether Victorians would be too prudish to walk around naked in
a gender-segregated bathhouse or not though.
A further point on onsen – Ed mentioned that we braved one bathhouse in Hiroshima that is known for some of its patrons being members of the Yakuza. You may know that the trademarks of these individuals are large tattoos that can be covered by a suit. As a result many onsens will not allow tattooed people to attend them and Spa World is one such place. The moral of the story is if you are ever being pursued by anyone from Collingwood Football Club an onsen is a safe place where you can hide.
Having missed the last train back to Fukushima Station (not where the nuclear reactor is) we took a taxi that was far less comfortable, quick or economical as the train would have been.
By the time I’d packed, ready for our flight the next morning it was 2.30am and I got into bed looking forward to three hours sleep before Ed’s alarm went off, breakfast and Singapore.
The next morning was quite disappointing. We broke the scale we had been using for things going badly wrong – the Tsukuji (as in fish market) Scale. One being things are going really well and ten being missing out on seeing Tsukuji Fish Market in Tokyo because it was closed and then a second time because we slept too long to make it worthwhile. Missing a flight is definitely worse than missing the market was.
It is hard to describe the feeling to you of waking up at 7.45am and having a one hour train ride between you and checking in for a 9.40am flight. It is part confusion, frustration and motivation all at the same time. So we rushed as fast as we could to the train station, had a deeply uncomfortable ride and arrived with about 20 minutes before the plane left. Apparently that is too late for an international flight these days.
We still don’t know exactly how the alarm that was set and double-checked failed to wake either Ed or I. Assuming the technology worked there are two theories – we were in such deep sleep that the alarm didn’t wake us and then switched off or alternatively the alarm went off for a while, woke our roommate who switched the alarm off before it could wake us up. I didn’t think I had it in me to miss an international flight but regrettably I can now tell you that I have. When things don’t go to plan like this I find myself missing home. It must induce a craving for familiarity and certainty.
The rest of the day we spent finding a new flight, new accommodation and continuing the demoralising mental sequence of ifs and buts about the morning. The new flight has been booked and was surprisingly good value for two-days prior. We will arrive in Singapore at 00:55 on 02/02/13.
On a positive note we could see Umeda Sky Building’s floating garden that we had previously missed.
Today we went to a theatre as a ‘last hoorah’ attempt to see some Kabuki or Noh. The seemingly random schedule provided no glory so we visited a multi-storey arcade and gambling centre down the road for our final dose of traditional Japanese culture instead.
Signing off until Singapore,
Ben x
Aus
A further point on onsen – Ed mentioned that we braved one bathhouse in Hiroshima that is known for some of its patrons being members of the Yakuza. You may know that the trademarks of these individuals are large tattoos that can be covered by a suit. As a result many onsens will not allow tattooed people to attend them and Spa World is one such place. The moral of the story is if you are ever being pursued by anyone from Collingwood Football Club an onsen is a safe place where you can hide.
Having missed the last train back to Fukushima Station (not where the nuclear reactor is) we took a taxi that was far less comfortable, quick or economical as the train would have been.
By the time I’d packed, ready for our flight the next morning it was 2.30am and I got into bed looking forward to three hours sleep before Ed’s alarm went off, breakfast and Singapore.
The next morning was quite disappointing. We broke the scale we had been using for things going badly wrong – the Tsukuji (as in fish market) Scale. One being things are going really well and ten being missing out on seeing Tsukuji Fish Market in Tokyo because it was closed and then a second time because we slept too long to make it worthwhile. Missing a flight is definitely worse than missing the market was.
It is hard to describe the feeling to you of waking up at 7.45am and having a one hour train ride between you and checking in for a 9.40am flight. It is part confusion, frustration and motivation all at the same time. So we rushed as fast as we could to the train station, had a deeply uncomfortable ride and arrived with about 20 minutes before the plane left. Apparently that is too late for an international flight these days.
We still don’t know exactly how the alarm that was set and double-checked failed to wake either Ed or I. Assuming the technology worked there are two theories – we were in such deep sleep that the alarm didn’t wake us and then switched off or alternatively the alarm went off for a while, woke our roommate who switched the alarm off before it could wake us up. I didn’t think I had it in me to miss an international flight but regrettably I can now tell you that I have. When things don’t go to plan like this I find myself missing home. It must induce a craving for familiarity and certainty.
The rest of the day we spent finding a new flight, new accommodation and continuing the demoralising mental sequence of ifs and buts about the morning. The new flight has been booked and was surprisingly good value for two-days prior. We will arrive in Singapore at 00:55 on 02/02/13.
On a positive note we could see Umeda Sky Building’s floating garden that we had previously missed.
Today we went to a theatre as a ‘last hoorah’ attempt to see some Kabuki or Noh. The seemingly random schedule provided no glory so we visited a multi-storey arcade and gambling centre down the road for our final dose of traditional Japanese culture instead.
Signing off until Singapore,
Ben x
Aus
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