Day 270 - 27th of May

8:12am　浅草スマイル

I’m in the main building of the hostel, on the third floor, sitting in front of the computer. My flight’s booked for today; I did it soon after we got here a little before 7. Remarkably, as soon as I had booked, mum rang up telling me that dad was just about to book the same flight, so luckily I let them know just in time. Carly’s sleeping in her room now, and we’ll probably be leaving here at about 10; back to the airport again. At least I can get some sleep on the train there; I got about an hour this morning coming back from Tsudanuma at a quarter to 5; it was too cold in Makkas to sleep. Anyway, the worst is over, and now I can look forward to going home tonight…

12:39pm　押上

We’re on the platform at Oshiage, waiting for the rapid to Narita Airport. Carly’s flight is at 5:30, so we’re leaving plenty of leeway just in case; it does take a long time to get to the airport, and we don’t want the same thing happening again. In fact, Carly too had had the wrong flight time in her head, and it was only because her mum sent her the itinerary, that she realised the actual time; so lucky!!! At almost 10, we went downstairs, and made our way over to the 7/11 for some breakfast; last jelly cup in Japan. We sat in the empty bar to eat, and then I got my itinerary printed off; my flights not till 20:55. So, I have a little while longer to wait around, but that’s okay; still have to write out the last set of postcards. Anyway, after breakfast, I noticed there was a keyboard in the room, and couldn’t resist banging on it for a while; I tried out my new sheet music. Time past swiftly, and soon it was 12. This was when we made our leave for the Toei Line; it wasn’t much fun at all. We had to talk all the way over to the other side of the station to find the elevator, and then walk all the way back underground to get to the tracks; Japan, you really aren’t very wheelchair friendly, or for that matter, unbelievably luggage-laden people friendly. Well, we did it and now the hardest part is over. Now all we have to do is ride the train to the airport, get off and wait. Perhaps they’ll have showers and I’ll be able to freshen up; I haven’t had a shower in over 24 hours!!!

4:28pm　成田空港

Carly has just gone through security, so she’s on her way; I still have a while to wait. I’m sitting here in the waiting area, reading some of the readings on the wall and they’re just great – ‘To “Samurai”, no sword allowed into aircraft,’ and ‘To business people of the world, sharp objects are prohibited on board except for your sharp brains.’ Just a little bit of amusement to keep me occupied… After arriving at the airport (it took well over an hour), we went through “security” (they were so lax, all we had to do was show our passports), and then Carly went to check in; Jetstar staff hadn’t arrived at that point as I soon found out. So, Carly got to get rid of all her checked baggage, but I had to continue lugging around mine. We found the toilets, and took it in turns, changing and freshening up. They didn’t have any showers, but I still feel way better now that I’ve changed clothes and brushed my teeth. I also got my carryon bag packed a bit better; it was very rushed last night. After that, we had lunch and I felt it only right to once again indulge in Japanese cuisine, and what better meal than gyudon and miso soup; I’m feeling good now. Now I just have to wait until 5:30 before the Jetstar check in begins, so I think I’ll write out these postcards…

7:57pm　成田空港

It feels good to sit down; I’m nearby gate 88, the very farthest in the airport; tells you something about Jetstar right. After checking in, I did some last minute souvenir shopping and mailed my postcards, before getting through customs smoothly. I bought some sweets and sake in the duty free area, and then had omu rice for dinner; my last meal in Japan. I;m glad it was nice, though a tad expensive; it’s airport food after all. Basically straight after dinner I came here; had to take the shuttle. I realised I’m an hour early, but I really don’t feel like doing anything else; I’m absolutely beat. We’ll probably start boarding pretty soon anyway. I’ll be happy when I’m on the plane, and hopefully I’ll be able to get some sleep. Well, it’s been a long day, and an even longer journey. This will be my last blog entry; of this I will be very glad. I feel this blog has helped me in many ways, and may provide others with an inside perspective on ryugakusei life. It’s been a big job though, and it’ll probably be weird not to feel obligated to write an entry every day. A lot of things will feel weird going back. While I felt very little culture shock, I think the reverse culture shock will hit me hard; at least I don’t have to worry about jet lag. I can’t wait to see my family tomorrow; one day too late! It’s my nan’s birthday tomorrow and I think hugging her will be the best present of all. Well, it’s been a pleasure. Hopefully you have gotten something out of reading this, as I have got out of experiencing it all. Until next time,

Joel

Day 269 - 26th of May

11:07pm　普通

天気：雨天

The fact that I’m writing this now on a local train means that yes, I’m still in Japan; I missed my flight!!! I think this would have to be the biggest, most costly mistake I’ve made in my entire life; I feel terrible. At least I have Carly; she’s been a rock, and a shoulder to cry on. So now, we’re going to go back to the hostel, and try to book another flight for as soon as possible. I’m so exhausted; lugging my luggage here only to find I’d missed the flight was heartbreaking, and backbreaking. The airport was already really empty when we got there, and there were only a more flights. These really nice ladies stayed around and tried their best to help, but they had to leave eventually. I bought a phone card, and eventually figured out how to use it; my mind just wasn’t working by that point. The phone started ringing, and mum answered and I was soon reduced to tears; breaking the bad news wasn’t easy on either of us. I really feel like I’ve let everybody down, most of all myself. I had the wrong time stuck in my head; I should have checked the time again. Well, hopefully this has taught me a lesson; something for everyone to be wary of. Anyway, the rest of my day was quite pleasant, and we got a lot done…

In the morning, we got ready and packed and checked out at about 10. Check out consisted of putting our linen in the basket and leaving our key on the bed; too easy. We went over to the main building and Carly booked another night with them; it was the cheapest and easiest option. They were also nice enough to hold our luggage. After we returned with Carly’s luggage, we made our way to Sensouji for one last look around. I bought a heap of souvenirs and found a really great bargain on a carry-on bag; it was a perfect size too. The best thing was, it was free; I finally used the gift cards I had won from singing at INFES. After Sensouji, we went in search of the cat café nearby (I saw the ad in Asakusa Smile), and eventually found it. For 800円, we got to spend an hour in a room full of cats and kittens, playing with them and petting them as much as we like; it was so much fun! The woman who ran it was really nice, and I was able to talk with her a lot in Japanese; she appreciated my Osaka dialect. Most of the cats were pretty placid, but all the kittens were super energetic; they were jumping and running about all over the place. They did tire out eventually though, and they looked so cute sleeping. We left there at about 2, and then made our way to 九段下 (Kudanshita) Station, in hopes of looking around the imperial palace… Well, this is the last stop; we didn’t make it back to Asakusa. Now we’ll have to find somewhere to sit and wait; maybe a Denny’s?

12:54am　マック　

天気：雨天

We’re here in 津田沼 (Tsudanuma), a place that I otherwise would have never had visited, were it not for my stupid mistake; how lucky I am. Well, we didn’t find a Denny’s, but a 24 hour Makkas is right outside the station, and that’s where we are now; thank God for 24 hour restaurants. I just enjoyed a midnight meal (double cheeseburger set), and got a blue coke glass, in commemoration of the FIFA world cup; another thing fate has delivered me. It’s actually really cool, and I’m sure it’ll be a collector’s item someday. Carly’s curled up in a ball, sleeping; I wish I could get to sleep that easy. Oh well, I may as well write about the rest of my yesterday… Getting off at Kudanshita turned out to be really successful; I noticed a sign for 靖国神社 (Yasakuni Shrine), shortly after exiting the station. I had forgotten about wanting to go there, so I jumped at the opportunity. It was a beautiful, but solemn place, filled with the spirits of the war dead; man and animal alike. I was really glad I got to see it. From there, we walked through 北の丸公園 (Kita no Maru Park), walking past the 日本武道館 (The Budokan), and through some wonderful gardens. Since the Imperial Palace grounds were in fact closed, and it was starting to rain, we made our way to the nearest station (竹橋駅 – Takebashi), and took the subway to Shibuya; the 東西線 (Tozai line), and then the Ginza line.

In Shibuya, we searched around a little while for a good, reasonably priced place to eat; I wanted my “last” meal in Japan to be Japanese cuisine. We found this nice, little vending machine operating place and I ordered the katsudon set, which came with udon noodles and trsukemono; simple and delicious. After dinner, we went in search of purikura machines, and ended up finding a bit more than we had hoped. Searching diligently for a purikura place, Carly spotted a Krispy Kreme restaurant; of course we had to go in!!! I was thoroughly impressed. While we were making our orders, we were given a free donut; the original glazed. Since I was going to order that (since it is undoubtedly the best tasting donut ever), I could now order two different things; I got one with strawberry filling, and the other with raspberry. I only ate the glazed one at that point, saving the others for the train ride. We kept on searching for purikura, and eventually found a room full of them. Not too fussed about the style we could have, we just got into the first vacant one we could find; this one made our eyes look intensely blue. By the time we exited it was 7 o’clock (the time at which I should have already been at the airport), and I took a few more photos of Shibuya, and videotaped the crazyness of the crossing.

Trying to find the Ginza line to take back to Asakusa was not fun at all; this was the start of the downfall of the night. We ended up going up and down and around in a great big circle before realising that it was actually on the third floor; why a subway line would be there I have no idea. Since we were going from one end of the line to the other, it ended up taking about 30 minutes to get to Asakusa. I enjoyed my strawberry filled donut, getting jam and icing sugar all over my vest; it was wonderful. It was when I was just about to step into the hostel at almost 8, when it finally clicked that the flight was actually at 9:25, not 11:25. I immediately went into overdrive, packing my carryon bag at lightning speed, and then rushing over to the station to find the Toei Asakusa line to Narita Airport; there were lots of stairs involved. Things fell apart when we realised we were on the wrong train, and we had to switch twice to right it. Waiting around in the train was the worst experience ever, because I knew that everything was out of my hands; meanwhile the clocks were steadily ticking. I hoped against hope that I might just make it, forgetting the dismal implausibility of it.

We were still on the train by the time the plane took off, and ended up being only 10 minutes late, well really, I would have had to have gotten there at least 30 minutes before departure time to make it to the terminal. So that was that; my “last” 269^th day in Japan. Hopefully I can book a flight for tomorrow, and it’ll be all good; lucky I have the money for it. I guess now I’ll just write some general pointers about Tokyo, to sum up my holiday here… Asakusa Hostel is a wonderfully cheap place to stay if you just want somewhere to sleep and don’t have much luggage; having as much stuff as we did is absurd. I think the train system is pretty easy to navigate once you get used to it, and if you make mistakes (like we did) it’s not too hard to right them. Yes, there are over 20 lines operating both above and below ground, but that just means that everywhere is really accessible; the prices are decent too. There are lots of places in Tokyo that don’t smell too pleasant; just putting that one out there. We would just be walking down some street, and then suddenly our noses would come across a most unappealing stink. In general, it seems that residents of Tokyo automatically assume that foreigner = tourist = zero Japanese ability; and that’s what makes it different to Osaka. There wasn’t as much English signage, nor as many foreigners in Tokyo as I thought there would be. Of course, the touristy areas were more catered towards foreigners but still, not as much as I expected; not like Kyoto. And I think that’s about it; for now. We’ve still got a few hours before the trains start up again, so I might try to get some sleep, just like the two old guys either side of me and Carly in front of me…

Day 266 - 23rd of May

10:28am　浅草スマイル

天気：雨天

We’ve just checked into Asakusa Smile and are going to rest for a while; I’m beat!!! At least we don’t have to worry about hauling our luggage around for the next few days; the hard part is over. Wow, and is this room tiny or what; almost all the floor space is taken up by our luggage. The only other thing in the room is a bunk bed; I’m on top. Well, it is a hostel after all, so I guess this is expected. It is wonderful and cosy, and the price was amazing so it’s totally worth it…After getting off the night bus, we made our way over to Tokyo Station, and after a bit of asking around, we figured out how to get to the hostel. We took the 山手線 (Yamanote Line) to 上野 (Ueno), going past 秋葉原 (Akihabara) the electronics district; I can’t wait to go there! Then we took the 銀座 (Ginza) subway line to 浅草 (Asakusa). For some stupid reason, Asakusa station has no elevator connecting the platform to the ticket gates, so we had to lug our stuff up stairs; lucky it was only one flight. When we finally emerged onto the street (after finally finding an elevator), I soon recognised my surroundings. To my left, over a bridge was the “giant golden turd” building – even the locals refer to it as the turd building, but it’s actually the Asahi Beer Headquarters, and the statue on top’s supposed to represent yeast; I’m not convinced - and two my right was 雷門 (Kaminarimon – “Thunder Gate”), leading to the beautiful 浅草寺 (Sensouji) Temple complex I visited the first time I was here.

It was raining (it still is now), and we had our luggage, so Sensouji would have to wait. We needed to figure out where the hostel was located; unfortunately the information centre across the road wasn’t open until 10:00. So instead, we made our way over to a Denny’s just up the street for breakfast. Inside, I could access the internet on my iPod, and soon found the hostel using Google maps; YAY for technology. It was only about 10 minutes away, so after eating we made our way there. Crossing the bridge, we couldn’t help but to notice the Sky Tree, now Japan’s tallest building, looming in the distance; construction isn’t finished yet, but it’s looking awesome. Crossing the bridge, and going a short way down the road (seemed longer with all our stuff) we made it to Asakusa Smile. Here, we found out that we weren’t actually staying in this building but a newer one, so shortly after paying and receiving our linen and key, we made the short trek over to here; lucky we were allowed to check in so early. The guy at the reception was really lax and spoken English well; the bar was dominated by foreigners. Over here though, there’s no reception, and apart from the cleaning lady (who’s Chinese), no other staff come here; it’s actually really nice and quiet. Well, going to have a shower soon (haven’t had one in over 24 hours), and then go to Sensouji…

11:10pm　浅草スマイル

We’ve just finished watching Chicago; well, Carly fell asleep about halfway through. It’s been such a long day; the night bus trip feels like it took place a forever ago… After resting, we went out to check out Sensouji. It was still raining, so I held the umbrella, and Carly wore a raincoat for good measure. Out the front of Kaminarimon, we were approached by a group of Japanese students who were conducting tours of Sensouji to improve their English. They asked if we had time to go on a tour, and we said sure; I think they really appreciated it. After introductions, we made our way under the gate and through the sprawling market street (despite the rain) to the temple complex, with light conversation along the way; ducking and weaving through a sea of umbrellas. Past the Pagoda (the second tallest in Japan) and lecture halls, and through another huge gate (with an equally huge pair of scandals hanging on the back), we made our way right up to the main building, which was under renovation; the outside surrounded by scaffolding. It was beautiful on the inside though, with amazing murals of “Japanese angels” (as we were told), a dragon, and flowers on the ceiling. After praying, and photos, we parted ways with our guides, feeling a little bit more enlightened; although we had both already knowledgeable about what they were explaining, thanks to classes at Kansai Gaidai. And while I’m glad that they got to practice their English, I wish I could have practiced some Japanese.

Carly and I continued exploring, and although I’d already been here before, I found it just as interesting as the first time, if not more. This time around, I had a better understanding of what I was seeing, and so I could appreciate it so much more; knowledge is certainly empowering. We bought this really sweet that I can’t remember the name of (so much for knowledge), but it was like a meringue; melt-in-your-mouth goodness!!! After Sensouji, we wandered back through the shopping street (the first time through had been a blur), and got some ideas about what we wanted to buy, and getting hungry. We turned onto another street – simply called 新 (shin – “new”) – and found a Family Mart were we bought a cheap lunch; I just got a pork dumpling. We followed the road to the end, and went into a small department store; it was kinda boring. I found out that my socks were soaked through, and walking around had consequentially become very uncomfortable. So we soon went back to the hostel, picking up dinner on the way; cup noodles from 7/11. We had planned on going out for dinner, but it was utterly miserable outside; better to stay nice and cosy inside. After dinner, we got settled and then watched the movie of Carly’s laptop, which was whirring away by the end of it… Well, better get some sleep now; gotta get up early tomorrow; Studio Ghibli Museum!!!

Day 118 - 26th of December

12:57am　Denny’s
天気：曇り
Hanging out with Alex in Denny’s 24 hour café; we’ve been here since 11. Had some dinner here, and dessert, and we’ve just been chatting about everything. We’re in Sakae, which is just 4 stops down from Kanayama on the subway. We explored the station first, which is really beautiful. There are dinosaur statues all lit up, a skating rink, heaps of shops, and the Pokémon centre; we even got some ice cream from Baskin and Robins. The roof is especially amazing. It’s a glass structure with large pool on top; so you can see the water above from the ground floor; it’s aptly named the 水の宇宙船 (mizu no uchuusen – aqua spaceship). After taking some video of that, and the Nagoya TV Tower, we walked over, and rode the Sky Boat; a Ferris wheel on the side of a building. After that, we went to Karaoke for 3 hours, and payed quite a bit more that we wanted, but oh well, it was fun; that’s what matters… I think we’re going to end up spending the whole night here.

2:41am　Denny’s
Still here; just finished the lateral thinking puzzles. We got 28 out of 50 correct. This is so much fun. Randomest night ever…

3:05am　Denny’s
Just finished the trivia question; they weren’t as fun as the lateral thinking puzzles.

3:49am　Denny’s
I love the glasses here. They have indents where you put your thumb and third finger; ingenious, but simple innovation. Anyway, I think we’re going to head out now. We’ve been here for almost 5 hours; crazy!!! Oh wow, there are two police men in here; a guy’s at a table and he’s not responding, so they’re talking with him now… It looks like it’s all been sorted out; I think the manager’s just apologised to the guy; so weird.

5:23am　地下鉄
We’re in the subway, waiting for the first train to Kanayama; I’m going to go back to the hostel, and shower and change. Bought an all day ticket, which can be used on all buses and trains linked to the 名城線 (Meijo line) for just 600円. We just spent the last hour and a half wandering around the outside of Sakae station, and park, taking pictures of cats. We’re going to go back to Alex’s dorm and chill there for most of the day.

6:05am　Hostel Ann
Just chilling in the hostel. I had a shower and gave Alex her Christmas present; kimono obi and yatsuhashi.

8:12am　Vie de France
Just ate a breakfast consisting of spinach and fetta pastry, and an apple cake at Vie de France in 本郷駅 (Hongo station). Going to catch the bus to Alex’s dorm…

12:21pm　I-house
Just had a couple of hours sleep here on the lounge, and feel a lot better now. I’m just about to steal some of Alex’s cereal for “breakfast”. I’ve been introduced to a few people here; they all seem very lively. Don’t know what we’ll be doing for the rest of the day… The “I-house”, as it’s called is pretty nice. Unfortunately for me as a guest, I don’t get to see most of it. I’m only allowed in the lounge, 玄関 (genkan - entrance) and 中庭 (nakaniwa – courtyard); I can’t even go up stairs to see Alex’s room; oh well, rules are rules I guess.

3:21pm　I-house
I here in the lounge, and typing this in real time! I’ve been working on my blog for the past few hours, while Alex has been helping Rosy record her singing voice for a friend’s Christmas present; she has an amazing voice. They’ve had to do it in the hall in front of the guest toilet’s, since guests aren’t allowed in the library, or anywhere they could find that was quiet for that matter; Rosy has just moved out of I-house so she’s technically a guest. Oh, and technically, I’m supposed to be with Alex at all times. I tried sitting with them on the floor for a little while, but then my battery was about to die on my laptop so I come back in here. This lounge is really cool. They have to TV’s and a multitude of consoles; PS2, PS3, Wii, two Nintendo. They even have two of those step pads for a dancing game. I’m starving, so hopefully Alex will be done soon so we can go out and eat…

9:45pm　Hostel Ann
I’m in my bed, in my room, in the hostel and, on second inspection, it’s actually a lot nicer than I thought. Yes it’s small, but the beds are a decent size; I fit in the top bunk comfortably. All the bedding is supplied, and although the mattress is thin, I’m sure I’ll sleep like a log regardless; so tired. And we even have an air conditioner; I’m actually really warm now… Alex and I went for dinner at an okonomiyaki place down the road at about 5, which was really nice. Walking there and back wasn’t very pleasant though; it was cold and windy. Getting back, we chilled out at the I-house a bit longer, watching a guy play this really cool game on the PS3. At about 8:50, we caught the bus back to Hongo station, and then trained it to Sakae to get an Oreo McFlurry with fries to dip at Makkas. We went to the Pokémon centre again, and I got something for Ben. Alex informed me that there are actually 5 Pokémon centres in Japan, the newest being in Sapporo. I can’t believe we didn’t go there; but I have a feeling I might have actually have seen it, I just can’t remember where. Anyway, we split ways after that, ready to meet up again tomorrow in Sakae; we’re going to go to Big Camera (electronics store) and Nagoya castle. I’m going to get some sleep now…