Day 242 - 29th of April

11:42pm　特急

天気：晴れ

Well, I’m late… We didn’t end up getting home from karaoke until 3:30 this morning, so I didn’t wake up till 10. I got ready and packed as quickly as possible; I’m bringing the bare minimum. After talking with family, and printing off the hotel booking information and a map, I made my way out to the bus stop. It’s a sunny, but windy day, but I guess that’s much better than rain. It’s the open campus day today, and I say Rebecca and Chelsea off this morning. I remember doing it last semester; it seems so long ago now… Anyway, I’m on the limited express to Tambabashi, onto Kyoto, and then Hikone to meet Alex…

12:28pm　新快速

Now I’m on the special rapid express to Hikone from Kyoto, on the 東海道本線 (Tokaido main line). I should be there in about 45 minutes; I’m coming Alex!!!

5:54pm　ホテル

We got to the hotel about 30 minutes ago. We’re staying at the 彦根びわこホテル (Hikone Biwako Hotel), and the room is great; the beds are so comfortable. We’re on the 4^th floor, right across from the elevator. In order for the power to work, you have to put the key in a slot just inside the door, which I think is really cool; just like magic… After getting to Hikone, I found a Makkas across the road from the station and ate lunch there, asking Alex to meet me; turns out she was already in the station, sitting in the waiting room. She soon arrived, and we had a bit of a catch up before making our way down the main street towards the castle. It was about a 10 minute walk till we hit the end of the street, and we noticed a shrine across the road, so we decided to check it out. It was called 護国神社 (gokoku jinja – lit. “Protect Country Shrine), and it turned out to be a war memorial shrine; the name hinted toward this fact. There were a number of statues, dedicated to the men who fell in war, the women and children, and even the animals (horses, dogs, and pigeon) that were involved in war; it was very beautiful. It was so quiet too; we were the only people there.

We soon made our way over to the castle, past the white-washed walls, over the moat, up stairs, and across bridges. Before entering the keep, we had a look around the grounds, did a bit of souvenir shopping, and took in the stunning view of the city and Lake Biwa. Like Himeji castle, we had to take our shoes off inside the keep, and carry them around in bags. It was quite small in comparison to the other castles I’ve been to (only 3 storeys), but it was still pretty cool. Inside, there were artefacts on display, and oh my gosh the stairs were steep, probably the steepest I’ve had to climb. Alex was a little worried, but we went up and down without any dramas, and were soon out. After that, we made our way around the back of the castle, and down a heap of stairs, before crossing a bridge at 黒門 (kuromon – “black gate”). In the moat below, there was a pair of white swan, presumably a male/female couple. The female was making a nest on the shore, and the male was diligently patrolling the waters; it was a wonderful sight to see. After a bit of a walk, we found ourselves at 玄宮園 (Genkyuen), which was an amazingly beautiful garden; so many great photos. Soon after, we exited the castle and made our way over to here, about a half an hour’s walk once we got on the right track; the map helped a lot. Check-in extremely simple; I just had to write my name and phone number, and pay, and we were set. It looks like they have a great selection of facilities, including a pool and spa, so I might go and check them out later. Right now though, I’m happy to just relax…

9:30pm　ホテル

I’m munching on sakura mochi; so yummy! Alex has only just been introduced to the wonders of mochi, and while at first she didn’t like the texture, she’s quickly getting used to it; they sell bags of it in the Lawsons across from the hotel. We’ve just come back from having dinner at a ラメン屋 (Ramen store) called “六本木 (Roppongi) House”, which is kind of epic as Roppongi is the name of a well known district in Tokyo. Anyway, the ramen was amazing; I got pork, and Alex got tomato. We stayed there and talked for a while, and then we went to Lawsons to pick up some dessert. I tried this strange coconut yoghurt/jelly thing that Ash had been talking about the previous night (coincidently), and it tasted pretty good; though not something I would buy again… Earlier this evening, I decided to go down the 2^nd floor and check out the bath, and while the set up was pretty typical, the baths themselves were surprisingly untraditional; they were more like Jacuzzi. The water was coloured green and scented, and water jets were used in two of the tubs. Still, it was very warm, and very relaxing; I didn’t end up staying too long though, as it was also quite boring. Getting back, I lazed around, and read another chapter of Reborn; I’m getting faster! Anyway, we’re probably going to get some sleep soon, as we have a big day planned for tomorrow…

Day 223 - 10th of April

8:37am　普通

天気：晴れ

I’m on the local train to Amagasaki, to change over for 姫路 (Himeji – lit. “Princess Road”); I’m with Rachel, Rachael and Sarah. I got up at 6:30 this morning, showered and had porridge for breakfast; and a very hasty breakfast that was. The four of us left for the Hirakata station at 7 by bus, and then took the train to Kyobashi. There, we went to the JR ticket office and picked up an all day rail pass to Himeji, which was really convenient and saved a bit of money too. We’re at Amagasaki now…

8:58am　新快速

Now we’re on the “special rapid” (never been on one of these before) to Himeji; just got to sit down. It’s a beautiful sunny, warm day today, and it may actually end up being too hot; especially since the line to get into the castle is going to be very long. Oh well, it’s definitely going to be worth it. I’m going to do a bit of study now; well, try too…

5:00pm　新快速

We’re back on the special express now, home bound! My feet are very sore, but it was definitely worth it; I knew it would be. The only problem is I’m too tired to write about it now; I’m going to doze for a bit…

10:51pm　セミナーハウス

Feeling a bit better now that I’ve had a nice hot shower and I’m lying down. Today was… gosh I can’t even describe it, but I know I have to. I just have to say right now that I’m so, so glad that I decided to go; it really was an amazing experience…We arrived in Himeji at about 10, and after I picked up the second volume of Reborn from a book store in the station, we made our way through an underground shopping arcade, and up onto the main street. Already, we could see the castle, standing proudly at the end of the busy main street; I already had both cameras out. Walking there, we past many interesting statues, an information centre with a cool model of the castle, and also got some food from the convenience store to eat when we got into the grounds, since there aren’t any food stalls within; I just got some onigiri, anpan, and a bottle of orange juice. Getting closer, we noticed the remains of the outer walls of the original castle town, now not much more than grassy mounds topped with ancient trees, with stone skirting their bases. Soon enough, we had reached the end of the street, the castle looking increasing grand; a huge moat, and stone walls surrounding the bailey; the “White Heron” proudly standing atop a cloud of pinks and greens ~ it is sometimes referred to as 白鷺城 (shirasakijo – “White Heron Castle”) because of it brilliant white exterior.

We crossed the white arching bridge, and entered the gate to the bailey, and were soon surrounded by 100s of sakura trees. We really had come at the perfect time! Just about all of them were in full bloom, or just past, which meant that we not only got to appreciate them at the height of their glory but also, when the wind blew, the petals would be caught in a flurry, before landing silently on the ground; it was truly a magical sight. And believe me when I say, I got my cherry blossom fill today; there must have been at least a thousand trees on the grounds if not more. Since it was still relatively early in the day, we decided to tour the castle first, before eating lunch. Already, a patchwork of blue tarps skirted the sakura, families and business colleagues enjoying their meals and the shade; it was actually getting quite hot. Waiting in the line-up to purchase tickets proved to be relatively short. Upon entry, Rachel bumped into one of her classmates, and they chatted for a bit with we planned our next move. After passing though another gate, we decided to check out the gardens first, before entering the main keep; cherry blossom heaven. I noticed that the palace was nearby (like the one at Nijo castle, this one was also called Nishi no Maru), and asked if the girls wanted to walk through it. It was free to go in, but when we got to the entrance, we had to take off our shoes and carry them with us in plastic bags; this was understandable, but odd. The interior was all wooden, and at some points very low or narrow; the stairs, which were almost ladders, were especially scary. “Stone throwing holes” were one of the cool features of the castle, which was a long curving structure of interconnecting rooms, almost all of them offering a view of the main keep.

Exiting at the other end, we put our shoes back on, disposed the plastic bags in the designated bins, and then made our way back through the garden; I found some pin dispensers on the way, so now I have two more. Even though they were doing a lot of construction work already, for the most part it didn’t obstruct the beautiful scenery. There was a giant crane set up next to the main keep, but even then you could easily take photos that didn’t include it; they had positioned it at an ideal angle and distance away. Unlike the line to the admission booths, the line to get into the main keep for far from short; our “siege” didn’t seem very dramatic at such a sluggish pace. When we finally found the end of the line, we were in a small courtyard with a well that someone had apparently been thrown into for being “naughty". By this point, it was very hot in the sun, and my bag was feeling heavy, but I endured; we were soon in the shade of the trees and the wall. In the same way that I couldn’t get much study done on the train this morning (because I was too distracted by the scenery), I didn’t have much luck reading Reborn. Even going at that pace, there was so much to see so in the end, while it took about an hour to get into the keep, it was far from boring; incidentally, I noticed Natalie in the exiting lane about halfway up.

I would have been very difficult for besiegers to even get to the main keep; the castle is such an intricate complex of paths and walls. The walls themselves have holes of alternating shapes in them, and each one could potentially have a rifleman on the other side, poised to fire. When we did finally get to the entrance, we went through the same procedure as the palace. Carrying my bagged shoes in one hand and my video camera in the other proved to be a little unruly especially when climbing the stairs. The central tower was six storeys high, and there were a few historical artefacts displayed throughout, including samurai armour, scrolls and rifles and spears; it had a very different feel to the museum-like set ups of Nagoya and Osaka castles. It was lit only by natural light, which meant that it was actually quite dark in many places. Like the palace, it was relatively unfurnished. It was quite crowded and near the beginning, Rachael and I got separated from Rachel and Sarah. We ended up getting to the top first, because the other two got stuck in the crowd at the bottom of the stairs on one of the lower floors, in order to limit the number of people in the top. At the top, we took in the amazing view of the grounds and the city beyond; it was very impressive. Interestingly there was a shrine, 刑部 (Osakabe), on the top floor, which was actually originally situated on the hill that they built the castle. They ended up moving the shrine during construction, and then relocating in inside the tower when they were finished; I think that’s really cool.

Going up the stairs was a bit worrying, but coming down was even worse. Like the palace too, these stairs were precariously steep, and I had to bend over to get under the crossbeam near the top. Going back down though, I had to basically climb under it, which was no easy task, especially when the stairs were slippery and I was in socks; Rachel, tall like me, had a similar struggle. We met up again on the 4^th floor, and then made our way back down, past more interesting artefacts; including a model of the original castle town. Again exiting from a different side, we made our way back out of the main keep, our descent much faster than our climb. Feeling very hungry, after a few more photos we exited out into a park and sat down on a rock for lunch, watching playful pigeons. After a bit of a rest, we continued exploring the grounds coming across 姫路神社 (Himeji Shrine), which was absolutely beautiful; I could understand why I would be a popular location for weddings. We walked through more gardens, and climbed to the top of the wall surrounded by the moat, finding a fiery ginger cat sleeping in the top of a water feature; it wasn’t running. We were now on the east side of the castle, were the construction work was much more obvious. It had gotten cloudy, and subsequently cooled down, so walking back around to the front of the complex was much more comfortable. To the left of us was another park filled with people enjoying the sakura, and to the right, a zoo. Once we got to the south east corner, we took our last few photos of the castle, with two shachi (tiger-headed fish) in the foreground. It was about 3:30 by this point, so we decided to call it a day, and headed back towards the train station; the castle would be closing at 4 anyway. On the way back, we past a market, and went over to a convenience store so Rachel could pick up some food; she hadn’t eaten yet.

Finally, we went to a ダイソー (Daiso), a100 yen store. It was basically three floors of cheap goods, most of them 105円; cause of the tax. Sarah was looking for gyoza press (which she found), and ended up buying a whole heap of other things; reminded me of Mum a discount shop. I found a big teddy bear to cuddle and some children’s books, one of which was kobutorijisan (the story we read in Reading and writing); I didn’t end up buying anything though. Before leaving for the station, both Rachael and I bought bread from the grocery store on the first floor. We made our way back to station, and were soon riding the special rapid back to Amagasaki. I was so sleepy and dozed off a couple of times. Rachel on the other hand, was too intent on seeing the sea to sleep; understandable since she lives in the middle of America. Once we got to Amagasaki, we hoped platforms and took the limited express back to Kyobashi; not that it made much difference since it stops just as frequently as the local. I read a little bit more of Reborn and now I’ve only got about 10 pages left; glad I bought the second volume today. Once we got to Kyobashi we went over to the Keihan side and Rachael suggested that we try to use the all-day passes that we got today on the Keihan line. So, I went up to ask one of the station attendants if we could use the ticket, and he said no. But he directed us around to an office, and said we could exchange the all-day JR ticket for an all-day Keihan ticket; very cool. So we relinquished our JR tickets, which were stamped twice, and then we received the Keihan tickets; so we ended up saving 320円.

After getting back to Hirakatashi, Rachael, Sarah, and I took the bus home, while Rachel decided to walk; she does like to walk. Getting back, I dumped my stuff in my room (Hugo-less) and then went up to make dinner. Ash was there, and I talked with her about her day; she had gone to Shinsaibashi and bought some magazines and a costume of one of her favourite anime characters. Sarah soon joined us, but just as soon left; I hadn’t even started eating dinner. I mixed the leftovers from last night with the rest of my pasta, and it turned out very nicely. It was very quiet in the kitchen (everyone was out), and apart from Ash and I, there were only about 4 other people in there, including Sam. He had wanted to come today, but hadn’t woken up; I wonder if he’ll go tomorrow with Jazz? Katie was next to join us, and she recalled her wonderful day in Kyoto, seeing the Philosopher’s Path and 平安神宮 (Heian Shrine, which I still want to go to), all transformed by the sakura. I think that seeing Himeji castle during sakura season tramps almost everything else, so I’m extremely glad I went; can’t say that enough. Katie soon left, and Rachel replaced her and we continued to chat for a while going our separate ways. To end this post on a rather dramatic note, I found out something from Ash tonight that I couldn’t believe; this was later confirmed in an email from the CIE. One of the students from Kansai Gaidai was arrested for the possession of marijuana!!! Who in their right mind would be stupid enough to think they could get away with something like that, especially in a country like Japan that has zero tolerance of drugs; obviously someone who isn’t in their right mind. Ash and I were speculating who it might be, but it might be someone we don’t even know; so many questions left unanswered. Needless to say, there will be severe repercussions for whoever did it, including detention without bail for up to six months, and deportation from Japan for up to 10 years. Absolutely crazy…

Day 140 - 17th of January

10:38pm　セミナーハウス
天気：晴れ、曇り
Today was very active, and really awesome… I got up at 9, and readied myself for today’s outing with Nadezhda. We were out of the seminar house by about 10:30, making our way to Makino. It was, at that point, a beautiful, warm day, so much so, that I decided to wear just a jumper (my new red one); this proved to be a bad move later on. Anyway, we went from Makino to Kuzuha, switched to a rapid express, then onto 三条 (Sanjou). From sanjou, we took the 地下鉄東西線 (chikatetsu touzaisen – Subway “east to west line”), three stops across to 二条城前 (Nijoujoumae). The peculiar thing about this subway was that glass walled off the track from the track, and there were automatic doors in front of the train doors. Nadezhda and I wondered why the walls were needed; were they just for decoration. Indeed, the colour of the automatic doors changed at every station. Also the warning signal in the subway had to be the best I’ve heard yet; it’s a pretty little koto motif.

We soon arrived at Nijoujoumae, and made our way up and out into the fresh air, with the castle wall beckoning us from across the street. We eagerly made our way over, purchased tickets, and took a few pictures out front, before entering the grounds. We firstly came across a gate leading into the 二の丸御殿 (ninomaru goten – Ninomaru Palace) and the detail, though faded, was spectacular. Entering the palace, we had to take our shoes off and don slippers, and no photography was allowed inside. It’s just one of those places you have to actually go into to see, and I really appreciate that. I was by no means disappointed, and while I have no photos to show, I will try to describe it as best as I can. The first thing I noticed was the design on the ceiling. It was made up of squares, and within each square, a detailed motif; many flowery designs. The palace is made up of five connected buildings, and each building had a different design on its ceiling.

The next thing I noticed was a strange squeaking beneath my feet. We were soon to find out that the floors were deliberately designed to produce a noise. This method of construction, 鴬張り (uguisubari – “nightingale flooring”), was used in the wooden corridors to protect the occupants from sneak attacks and assassins; clever thinking. Although I haven’t heard a nightingale call, I definitely hear the likeness to a bird chirp; so cool. And finally, I notice the paintings that cover the walls of all 33 rooms; over 800 tatami mats. Oh my gosh, it was incredible. Each room had a different theme, here pine trees and mountains, there fans and chrysanthemums. Tigers, peacocks, pheasants, horses, cherry blossoms, rivers, ducks, cranes… all backed by gold leaf. It was so beautiful; the outside world was brought inside. The wall paintings are attributed to artists of the 狩野派 (kanouha – Kano School), one of the most famous schools of Japanese painting. Another cool feature was a set of red tasselled doors in some rooms where the shogun’s bodyguards could come out and protect him.

And this was all done over 400 hundred years ago. Incredibly, all of the original paintings (over 3000) survived, and while most in the palace were reproductions, we were assured that they were as close to the originals as possible; using traditional methods, and natural pigments. After exiting, we continued through a beautiful garden, and over the inner moat, to the remains of the 本丸御殿 (honmaru goten – Hommaru Palace). Unfortunately, the interior is only open to the public on special occasions. We made our way through more gardens to the 天守閣 (tenshukaku – keep), well… where it stood at least; it was struck by lightning and burnt to the ground in 1750. So all that’s left now are the stone foundations; provided a good view of the grounds though. We finally circled out and back around to the front, through some many gardens, which will look so impressive, come spring.

We went to the gift shop, and I bought a pin of the palace, then got two more for a machine; couldn’t resist. Further along was a memorial exhibition hall, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the palace (2003). Inside, we got to see the original wall paintings of the 四の間 (yon no ma – 4th Grand Chamber), in the Ninomaru palace. This room featured hawks and pines, and was the where officers were received, and the weapons kept; perfect theme. Being able to see the walls up close, albeit behind glass, was great. The exhibition hall was also set up with the same dimensions as the original room, so we could really get a feel for what it was actually like. More than satisfied, we left the castle, grey clouds not dampening our spirits one bit. Although it wasn’t exactly what I had expected (there was no “castle”), I still found it an incredible experience.

Now very hungry (it was almost 2), we went in search of somewhere to eat, and soon found it down the road; ramen shop. Gosh I’m becoming such a fan of ramen; I love it more and more every time I eat it. I also drank the green tea there. It was cold and so dilute I could hardly taste the tea; quite refreshing. Nadezhda and I were still rearing to explore Kyoto, so after letting our meals go down, we exited and turned left, following the main road, having no destination. We got to a big intersection, and Nadezhda spotted Kyoto tower to the right. Since neither of us had been to the top before, we decided to go for it. But first, since I recognised the area, I took Nadezhda to the 六角堂 (rokkakudou – Hexagonal hall). It was great going back there again; the swans were particularly active today. After that, we continued walking towards the tower, down the main road, before spotting another temple; the 平等時因幡薬師 (Byoudouji Inabayakushi). It was absolutely dead (there was much construction work also), and we felt compelled to whisper; such an amazing atmosphere.

Shortly after, we come across another wondrous complex; the 東本願寺 (higashi honganji – “East temple of the original vow”). Such a grand name certainly fit the enormity of the buildings. The gate itself was impressive enough, but the temple within rivalled that of the todaiji in Nara. The building next to it, the Amida hall, is currently decked out scaffolding, but will be opening in 2011; another thing to come back and see). The complex is 99,000m2 and is one of the dominant sub sects in Shin Buddhism. The other, as we were soon to find out, is the 西本願寺 (nishi honganji – “West temple of the original vow”). We didn’t look around too much as it was getting late, and very cold. It was very close to the tower, so we were soon inside, and shot up the elevator to the top observation deck of the 131m tall building; 100m at observation deck.

The views of Kyoto were spectacular. We had come at a good time, when the sun was setting, and the mountains turned to gold. Surprisingly, the binoculars were free, and we spied a number of sites, including Kiyomizu temple, Toji Pagoda, and the Momoyama castle. One problem with the binoculars, for me at least, was that they were too short, so I had to basically squat to see through them. Supposedly, we were able to see Osaka castle from the top too, but we couldn’t find it. We stayed up there till dark, watching the colours of the sky slowly change, and the lights of the city come on; it was equally beautiful at night. The mountains in the background were so black, and we noted that south of the tower was much brighter, in terms of lights, than the north. I guess it’s because all the historical sites aren’t lit up, and they make up the majority of the area; seriously. You can never see enough it Kyoto!

At about 6, we left the tower, and walked over to Kyoto station, taking some photos of the tower from various angles and heights; I took Nadezhda all the way up the sky garden. Getting out of the cold (and yes, I was really feeling it in my just jumper), we found our way over to the Kitetsu line, and got a train to Tambabashi, before hoping on a local back to Makino. The trip back was so nice, and warm, and restful, and when we did get to Makino, I really didn’t want to get up. Both needing some groceries, we went over to life. I just got some meat, cereal, and these great little buns filled with red bean that Jo had offered us one time; Nadezhda spotted them. Finally getting back home (what a relief), I set about making dinner; shepherd’s pie. It wasn’t until after 9 that I sat down and ate; peeling potatoes is time consuming, lolz. I was very happy with the meal though; got a bit left over for tomorrow too. After dinner, I had milk and a bun, and then went down to my room, and did a quick little tidy up.

As I was making dinner, Yuji explained that he needed to come down to my room to talk about the inspection this Friday! Since I took so long, he’d left the kitchen and went to do homework, so I had to go find him in his room and drag him away from it. He cautioned that this inspection would be more thorough than the last and, since everyone will have their inspection on the same day, there is no room for mistakes. He also showed concern for Ryan’s absence, and asked me to inform Ryan as soon as he gets back, to go see Aki to get the information from her. We also went up to check my kitchen box, and then the fridge, and Yuji was impressed by how clean it was; I only have to wipe it down. It helps when I’m practically the only one using it; there’s like two things in there of Ryan’s, and no one’s in the other room that shares our fridge. And talk about being in the right place at the right time, we both got cake from Aki; it was absolutely delicious. Finally, got to have a shower… Well better get some sleep now, going to animate in Hirakata, and then onto Umeda with Ash and Peter tomorrow!

Day 126 - 3rd of January

6:57am　First Kitchen – 梅田
天気：曇り
I’m in First Kitchen with Tamblyn; just had some breakfast. Wow, last night was really great… I finally found the hotel in 道頓堀 (Dotonbori), after walking the streets for a while upon exiting Namba station. It was about 3, and they were all waiting out the front. It was so cool to see Peyton and Laine again; they’ve grown so much. And of course, seeing Tamblyn, Peter and Naomi was great. The kids instantly attached themselves to me, and I spent the majority of the day holding their hands, helping them up stairs (carrying Laine at times), and looking out for them; it was a lot of fun. Our first stop was Osaka castle; we went up to Umeda, and then across to Osakajokoen via the loop line. It was already pretty late when we got there, and by the time we got to the castle, it was only 20 minutes until closing time. Peter decided he’d go in anyway; the rest of us sat outside waiting.

He emerged well after 5. The sun had already set, and the castle was all lit up. It was very beautiful, and since I’d never seen it close up at night before, I was really appreciative of coming. Tamblyn found one for his favourite drinks in a nearby vending machine, and decided he’d buy some for himself and his friends; meaning 8. It’s called Fanta furufuru; jelly and soft drink in a can. Since I had a bag, I was stuck carrying them around for the rest of the night. After the castle, we went to Shinsaibashi, and Peter and Tamblyn took Peyton to go and buy shoes, while Naomi, Laine and I went to design them! We went to the Nike shop, where you can create your own personalised shoes, and had fun choosing colours, styles and materials for what would be Tamblyn’s new shoes. Laine fell asleep on the stairs (so cute), and we had to drag him up when it came to finalizing the purchase. Since they wouldn’t ship the shoes overseas, Naomi needed a Japanese address, and that’s where I came in. It was all sorted out fine; I’ll be expecting shoes in a month.

Coming out of the shop, Laine was tired and said his feet were hurting a lot. Naomi and I took turns carrying him for a while, trying to track down Peter. Laine started to really complain, and we figured out that his shoes were causing the problem; they were new, and cutting into the top of his feet. We tried at first, to loosen them, but that did no good, so we took them off entirely and then went on a quest for slippers; getting many stares from the natives. After going to two shoe stores, a Disney merchandise store, and a convenience store, we finally found some in a pharmacy. They were too big, but Laine complied and did his best; such a battler. Still unsure of where Peter was, we continued down the street until we reached Dotonbori, before Laine insisted he go to the toilet, so I took him to Makkas. By luck, when we came out, Peter was there with Naomi.

Peter, Tamblyn and Peyton went on to the restaurant, and we made a quick stop at a specialty store to see if we could find the green tea air fresher that was used in their hotel. There were so many imported goods; they even had timtams!!! Unsuccessful (but still laden with goodies) we made our way to the restaurant; an okonomiyaki place. After a short wait, we were seated. The food was spectacular; best okonomiyaki I’ve ever had. Very satisfied, we went back to the hotel, and it was 11 before long. Tamblyn was supposed to return to his host family, but we sorted it out so he could come out to karaoke with me. We were in Umeda, and after a bit of searching we found a reasonably cheap place (the one with the huge dragon head coming out of it), considering it is New Years. We went from just after 12 till 6; another all-nighter. It was a lot of fun, but I’m so tired now; gonna get home soon and sleep…

9:55pm　セミナーハウス
Feeling tired still, even though I slept most of the day… I left Tambyln (I let hime know I was going), to sleep in First Kitchen at about 7:30, and made my way back home. I was tired the whole way back, and in the walk back from Makino, I was in a daze. Finally at home, I had a shower, and then crashed; Ryan wasn’t there. I woke at 1, and decided it would be a good idea to have some lunch. Almost immediately after, I went back to sleep again. Waking at 6, I went up and made dinner (chicken parmigiana with garlic bread), and watched TV for a while. These two Japanese guys were travelling the world and participating in unusual sports. They were in Estonia doing a sport involving flinging yourself around a swing standing, before going to Indonesia for the water oxen festival, where bulls are raced, chariot-like, across shallow water; both sports looked really challenging. Ryan’s still not back, so I guess I’m going to have a pretty early night; maybe go to Kuzaha hall tomorrow for the last day of sales.

Day 119 - 27th of December

11:36am　名城線
天気：晴れ
On the subway to Sakae; I only woke up an hour ago; I must have really needed the sleep. Alex only just got also, so it’ll take her a while to get to Sakae. In the mean time I’m going to get some brunch. Today is warm, and fine, and I’m feeling ready to pull another all nighter; at karaoke.

11:07am　栄
Still waiting for Alex; I’m in the station. Just got a text… I got food at a bakery (called Steiner) in Oasis 21 (that’s the name of the plaza in Sakae station). Gosh, I love Japan’s bakeries; so good. I spent the rest of the time exploring; went in the NHK character store (had a lot of Ghibli merchandise too), the Jump shop (anime paraphernalia), and the Pokémon centre, then the park, and aqua spaceship again; very different in the day… Found Alex; she’s getting food from Makkas now. It’s so crazy here; in this Makkas, you actually have to separate the straw and lid from the cup, and then put them in separate bins. The line is way out the door, but the service is excellent (as it is everywhere); Alex will be out in no time…

1:47pm　名城線
We’re on the subway to 市役所 (shiyakusho – city hall), and from there walking to the castle.

4:00pm　名城線
On the train back to Sakae. Just came from the castle…

4:03pm　東山線
Just made the train; going to Nagoya station. Almost there already…

6:07pm　桜通線
We’re making our way to 大曽根 (Ozone), just because of the name. I think we’re going to eat dinner there. We joked that someone should have a place there called “The Ozone Layer”; that would be epic. We were just at Nagoya station, watching this amazing light display; got it on film.

6:17pm 名城線
This is so random, and so much fun. We’re only 4 stops away, on the Meijo line. The subway system here is so cool, and the fact that you can get a whole day pass for such a low price makes it all the more awesome. There’s so many different ways to get where you want to go, and everything connects to the loop line; Meijo.

9:01pm　名城線
Alex loves watching the guy work (aka, watching the conductor opening and closing the train doors). We are conducting a little experiment here; how long it takes to get all the way round the Meijo loop line. This is so awesome, and it’s a good time to update my journal. Mmm… just finished a Milky Way; thanks Alex… today has been so random. I really enjoyed the castle. We wandered around the gardens before entering the main grounds. There was a group of guys dressed as samurai for people to take photos with; they were very popular among the girls in particular. There was also a lot of construction going on; we found out that they are reconstructing the 本丸御殿 (Honmaru Goten – Hommaru Palace), next to the castle; it was burnt down during the WWII. They’re estimating it won’t be completed until 2018; I’ll have to come back then to see it. Oh yeah, and 2010 marks the 400th anniversary of the incorporation of Nagoya city; that’s pretty awesome.

Anyway, we explored the 天守閣 (tenshukaku – keep) for a while, and took in the views from the top, before making our way back down and out. I stopped at the gift shop outside and I bought myself another pin for my bag. After that, we went to Big Camera near Nagoya station, and I had a lot of enjoyment playing the piano there, while Alex listened. Then, we both had a lot of fun playing with Lego on a little kids table (it had four seats and boards incorporated into it). I built a tower and Alex a spaceship, and then we both wrote our names in Lego; that was so cool. After that, we went to Ozone and had an amazing dinner at this ramen place while watching the ice skating on TV.

I noticed that today was 仏滅 (Butstumetsu – Buddha’s Death), which is supposed to be a very unlucky day in the six day Buddhist cycle ~ 赤口 (shakku – unlucky for all activities, with only the period around noon being auspicious), 先勝 (sensho – lucky for the morning, but not the afternoon), 友引 (tomobiki – good day for business and lawsuits), 先負 (senbu – lucky day, but not in the morning), bustumetsu then, 大安 (taian – auspicious day); then it repeats. These days are displayed on many calendars, and that’s how I noticed it. Well, it certainly wasn’t an unlucky day for us. We joked that everyone elses bad luck left surplus good luck for us. Seriously though, the number of times we just made the train…

After dinner, we went to another electronic shop nearby, and I convinced myself I wanted a DS lite; didn’t have enough money to buy anything then though. We then got on the train and started our experiment; we’re only one stop away from Ozone again now. After this, we’re going to jump on as many of the other lines as we can… And we’re done; it took almost 49 minutes! Alex said doing this experiment makes everything feel closer. Okay so now we’re moving onto our second experiment; transfer time and train times on other lines inside the loop. We’re going to end up in Motoyama, then take the subway to Hongo, and then bus it to where Alex lives and find Karaoke…

10:46pm　鶴見線
Alex just realised that the last bus is at 11; we won’t make it in time. We’re on the 鶴見線 (Tsurumi line) now, doing our crazy subway experiment…

11:05pm　名城線
Mission aborted… we were worried we wouldn’t make it to Sakae before the last train, so we’re going now there now…

11:44pm　栄
We’re in Karaoke now; got till 6 am. See you tomorrow…