Louisa's Adventures In Nippon-land

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Kyoto Megapost 3 Photos

The entrance to Fushimi Inari-taisha. Among the torii gates. In my own little world. This lady made me tea. The Maiko Dance. Saving an alcoholic from himself. Creeeeepy puppet.

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Kyoto Megapost Part 3 – The adventure continues…

Kyoto Day 2 – Tuesday 21st November

Another early start to visit a place that has been on my bucket list for a while – Fushimi Inari-taisha. It is one of the biggest temples in Japan and known for its long paths lines with numerous, vermillion torii gates. The reason we decided to go early is that, even on non-peak days (such as a random Tuesday in November), the shrine gets packed. Fun fact number one, the messengers of the Goddess Inari are foxes (kitsune). Fun fact number two, foxes are my favourite animal. Those of you who know me probably realize it was like a moth drawn to a flame, except the moth is hella excitable and the flame is a massive Shinto shrine with foxes everywhere.

 But I digress. At the base of the shrine it was pretty crowded but having done my research we headed up quickly and soon left the crowds behind and more or less had the place to ourselves as we took a nice, quiet, leisurely walk to the top. Fushimi Inari-taisha is really breathtaking. Every so often you come across a small shrine surrounded by smaller shrines covered in mini torii gates, a veritable Koch Snowflake of shrines. I made my prayer at the very top. I also taught some American tourists how to pray properly (the student has now become the master E!). Another peaceful walk down until about halfway where, we found a log jam of people in the torii gates. We really pulled the right move getting there early, none of the lovely shots I took alone would have been possible had we been an hour later.

 We decided to walk back to Higashiyama Ward as it was still pretty early and we had plenty of time. On the way we stopped at the Little Dragon Café where Steve sampled the delights of omurice and I had some ginger pork thing. The waitress was so ancient I thought she’d keel over as she was bussing tables by herself and more people kept coming in so not as relaxing a lunch as it could have been! Hunger sated, we continued on deciding just to wander around and stopping in many cafes as it was bloody cold! Part of this was because we had decided to go to a show at Gion Corner that included various forms of traditional Japanese entertainment including a Maiko dance. Maiko are apprentice geisha and as the tickets were surprisingly easy to obtain (you just had to be there at 5.30pm to buy tickets for a 6pm show) there was no way in heck I was missing out! Once again, Steve proved his patience by acquiescing to my request that we get there at 5pm so we would be front of the queue. We ended up front row, centre! It was glorious, I even got chosen to take part in the tea ceremony *insert sparkly eyes*. Other parts of the show included a very amusing play about a lord trying to stop his servants drink his sake and a puppet that was controlled by three people. The Maiko Dance was lovely; oddly I couldn’t get over how small her hands were. It was probably because she moved them so delicately.

After the show, we headed back towards our new favourite izakaya (Onishi Yakitori Bar) for drinks (more sake) and delectable snacks on sticks. I may or may not have become fixated on a lack of jacket potatoes AND had a lovely conversation with some Japanese businessmen. E was right, you want to practice your beginners Japanese, go to an izakaya. Additionally, as Steve had yet to purchase anything from one of Japan’s famous vending machines we got some more sake on the way home!

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Kyoto Megapost Part 2 Photos

Exploring Imperial Palace Gardens. Shirakumo Shrine. Nikishi Market, the longest lane ever. Snowy Owl meets a snowy owl (named Hedwig). In Gion.

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Kyoto Megapost Part 2 – In which the adventure begins…

Kyoto Day 1 – Monday 20th November

Early start to what would turn out to be a very busy day. We were out by 8am and went for some breakfast around the corner before heading out to our first stop, the Kyoto Imperial Palace…which turned out to be shut on Mondays! However, we made the best of it as the surrounding gardens were very beautiful and in full swing of the Japanese autumn. We also found a little shrine and I taught Steve how to pray properly. I like shrines, I always find them very peaceful unlike churches which make me nervous.

Our next stop was the International Manga Museum which was very interesting. All the books in it had been donated mainly from one man’s collection and there was an exhibition on the evolution of manga through the years. Maybe some explanation is required. Manga is a style of Japanese comic drawing, odds are that you’ve encountered it and just didn’t know what it was. Manga and anime (when it’s made into a cartoon) are many people’s first in depth insight into Japanese culture. Take it from me, some of the portrayals of Japanese life are spot on.

From here we wandered on to the famous Nishiki Market. I swear it’s the longest street of vendors and independent shops I’ve ever been down. Narrow and crowded, it holds a multitude of goodies and gaijin alike. I must say that I didn’t realise how used I had gotten to being one of few gaijin around, seeing them all seemed so wrong to me which was weird. I managed to get some Christmas shopping done in the Market and I must hail Steve at this point for his unwavering patience with my indecisiveness and vanishing acts (he got a good insight into the life of my father!). We also found a random owlery hidden away in there which we had to visit obviously due to my professional status as Snowy Owl and Steve’s obsession with owls. We popped into the Kyoto Pokemon Centre on the way to the Higashiyama Ward (Old Town) and apparently, Steve has never seen someone so happy. I would like to challenge this observation as I’m pretty happy all the time when I’m doing something fun and he should know it!

Walking around Gion (pronounced ‘gee-on’) was lovely. So many Japanese girls were dressed in their kimonos (rented) and I was quite jealous. I have vowed that the next time I go to Kyoto I too, will rent a kimono and feel super pretty (and probably uncomfortable, those things are tight). The local authorities have made an effort to restore the area to the former glory of the Edo Period which means they got rid of the telephone wires. It was very strange to walk down a street under an open sky but obviously pleasant and we took in the oldest zen temple in Kyoto ‘Kennin-ji’. We had to take our shoes off which meant I spent most of the tour thinking how cold my poor little feet were. Thankfully there was a nice little coffee shop nearby, next to Gion Corner (Café Ushiwakamaru) for a hot chocolate and a cream puff before off to an afternoon of more shopping! Once again I would like to commend the patience of Steve whom I dragged into shop after shop searching for Christmas gifts!

Our plan after this was always to go to a restaurant called Teppanyaki Manryu, due to a personal request of a friend who had been there in the summer and wanted me to check if his picture was still there. I feel rather sorry for the staff as a baffling English girl came wondering enthusiastically in demanding to see their wall of photos before even sitting down. I’m happy to say I did find the picture in question. The food was lovely and I had some pork wrapped asparagus thing which was delicious. Then all that was left to do was make our way towards Onigappa, the bar we had made reservations in the previous evening. We took a leisurely stroll down the Kamo River to get there which was very pleasant despite the constant danger of being run over by a bicycle. Onigappa was nice but a little overpriced for what it was I think. Plus, Steve burnt the bajeezus out of his mouth about 10min in, so he couldn’t taste anything. On the way home we found another little izakaya much more to our taste called Onishi Yakitori Bar where we imbibed yet more sake (Louisa drinking two nights on the trot whuuuuuuut?).

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Please note I’ve added links from Google Maps to the places we went so you can find them!

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Kyoto Megapost Part 1 Photos

Steve arrives. First stop Kyoto Aquarium. Truly beautiful. Sassy seal. I made a little friend. English girl in a Kyoto Garden. I make it sake o’clock.

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Kyoto Megapost Part 1 – In which we set the scene…

Well friends and family it’s been a while. I could have written earlier but I wanted to wait until the epic event that was my trip to Kyoto had occurred. Now it has, it’s eclipsed everything else so far and I can’t remember what I was going to write about! This post shall be in several parts as A LOT happened. But our story begins a few days before when my very first visitor from the UK arrived last Friday…

Pre-Kyoto – Friday 17th November

Christ, was it only a week ago? It feels like years! On this day I was struggling to keep my composure in the staff room as all my ninensei (2nd Years) had gone on a trip to Okinawa for a week leaving me with a grand total of 5 classes all week, none of which were on Friday. I somehow managed to employ myself in a vaguely productive manner before leaping up at 4pm and hurrying home. I only had to wait an hour before (drum roll please) STEVE arrived!!! Promptly took him out for sushi with K and P where we discovered he was going to struggle being a vegetarian in Japan, but he accepted becoming a pescatarian for a week with good grace and we had a great time! Afterwards we grabbed some sake and beer on the way home and caught up.

The next day we had a very chill day to give Steve a chance to recover from any jetlag and in preparation to get up at 5.30am on Sunday to catch the 7.30am bus to Kyoto. I did however, insist that Steve have an onsen experience (the ‘everybody be naked’ place), so E and J kindly organised a trip to Shimobe Onsen near Minobu. A very fancy place, not as crowded as Mitama Hot Springs and very old school. A little sad but even though it was very relaxing, every time J and I entered a bath the occupying Japanese ladies vacated. Oh well, c’est la vie.

Kyoto Bound – Sunday 19th November

As mentioned before, Steve and I were up at 5.30am to get ready and walk to the bus for 7.30am. It was a 45min dawn walk to Kofu Bus Station and I must say, very refreshing. Fuji-san was looking lovely and the world was quiet. I’d like to talk about the majestic Japanese countryside as we drove through it but for the first time ever I slept on a moving vehicle! I woke up occasionally but for the most part I was dead to the world. I’m rather thankful, as it was a 7hr bus journey and we arrived a little after 2pm. First stop was our hostel accommodation a lovely little place called Guest House Kyoto Inn which was very well situated, and the manager was super friendly. After a short breather we decided to go to the Kyoto Aquarium as we had walked passed it on the way to the hostel and it looked interesting. We had a lovely wonder and I made a little seal friend! The Aquarium is half outside and half inside which I thought was cool. Don’t worry folks I will be posting photos of my adventures!

To wrap up the day we went for udon and then found an izakaya for some drinks which turned out to be an ordeal in itself! We kept walking into places that were already full, but one looked intriguing to we made reservations for Monday and found somewhere else. The place was called Kyo Suishin and the sake of choice was ‘Tamagawa’. Despite having a distinct whiskey flavour, it was still very nice and we managed to finish it off before heading back to collapse into bed.

End of Part 1

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I Went To Tokyo!

Well clearly the ‘writing every week’ thing didn’t happen, sorry guys! But I did post a few pictures due from my other adventures! That has to count for something right?

So what have I been up to? Well this weekend I went to Tokyo, to the Ghibli Museum and also managed to squeeze in a visit to the Pokemon Centre in Sunshine City, Ikebukuro. To those of you who know me well whatever it is that you are imagining is probably 100% correct, up to and including:

- Me running through a Japanese mall as friends call that ‘it’s the other way’.

- Squealing upon approach.

- Becoming paralysed from indecision of which way to go first.

This is mainly in the Pokemon Centre as I was facing my childhood more or less.

The Ghibli Museum was a whole different kettle of fish. Part of the magic is that once inside, you aren’t allowed to take photos so, unless you’ve actually been, you don’t know what to expect. All I can really say is that it was breathtaking. Also Hayao Miyazaki is a control freak and micromanager but in the best possible way. His attention to detail is what makes the Ghibli movies so beautiful and timeless. What made it extra special and interesting was having T there who studied animation before coming to Japan. She was able to explain the significance of all the little extras included in the process and how the animation worked.

It was an amazing weekend and I needed it after a less than stellar week if I’m honest. Going to work all day on Sunday for the Debate Competition really messed with my body clock and my mood was effected accordingly. I officially became done with the week on Wednesday when, convinced it was Thursday, I walked into a classroom to blank stares and a maths teacher. Promptly left feeling mortified.

But it’s a new week, we’re post-typhoon, the sun is shining and I have lots of little knickknacks to keep me happy for a while. If that wasn’t enough, a new English café has opened up down the road from me as in, run by an English guy and offers actual bacon. I almost cried with joy.

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Climbing Mt. Iimori.

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Shyōsenkyō Gorge in Yamanashi, it was raining.

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A Tranquil Bamboo Forest and the YETI Welcome BBQ

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Fujiyoshida Fire Festival - How to Poop on Health and Safety Regulations

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It’s Onsen o’clock

It’s that time again folks! I’m determined to write a post every week! The only problem being I don’t have much to tell. True to my word, I had my lazy weekend (with a bit of cleaning) and Saturday was gloriously unproductive! I guess Sunday, however, managed to make itself noteworthy.

Firstly, after standing in a Lawsons konbini for an awkward 30min and then a few nail-biting minutes at a Loopi ticket machine, I managed to acquire tickets to the Ghibli Museum next month in Tokyo! Now I know many of you laugh at me for my love of cartoons or in this case anime, (I’m looking at you Dad), but even the most hardened critic has described the museum as magical! I can’t wait!

My other noteworthy activity to achieve maximum relaxation was to visit my first onsen! For those of you who don’t know, an onsen (温泉) is a Japanese hot spring and the bathing facilities and inns frequently situated around them. The first thing you need to know about onsens is – everybody be naked. An odd experience to say the least. Thankfully, most onsens are segregated and once the initial awkwardness of getting undressed was over, I was more or less ok. Granted, we got a few more looks than others but that was more innocent curiosity at three gaijin girls than anything else. One thing you do have to do before getting in is to clean yourself. The baths are not for cleaning the body but for cleansing the soul. As we went to Mitama Hot Springs, the bath afforded a beautiful view of the whole of Kofu at night. I think I’ll definitely be going again!

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Catch up!

So I have been horribly lax in my blogging. But in my defense I haven’t stopped in two weeks! Or at least when I have it is to sleep. To sum it up, the main events have been:

Going to the Fujiyoushida Fire Festival (and making my first prayer at a shrine)

I started teaching.

I started Japanese lessons.

I went to the YETI Welcome BBQ at Manriki Park in Yamanashi-shi (followed by some karaoke.

Road trip to the beach in Kamakura and stopping at a bamboo forest along the way.

As I said, I haven’t stopped. This weekend I plan to give my apartment a deep clean and then proceed to vegetate in bed for the remainder.

Starting at the beginning, the fire festival was great fun! Even if it was a Health and Safety nightmare – literal towers of fire burning in the middle of the road, periodically collapsing. Or you could be mown down by the firelighters charging from tower to tower. Anyway, I managed to make it to the shrine without to much damage. E taught me the proper prayer ceremony (at the altar, throw a money offering into the box, bow twice, clap your hands twice, pray and then bow once more) and afterwards I tasted some sacred sake.

In other news, I started teaching my intro lesson and I think my students are enjoying it. We will have to see what happens when I start teaching real lessons. Though, I am rapidly bankrupting myself buying sweets to tempt them into putting their hands up.

On the subject of studies, I have begun my own in Japanese and I’d like to think I’m a pretty good student. I do my homework at school when I have free periods and nothing to do which is a lot of the time at the moment. It’s exams for the students next week which means I can’t teach them anything new.

It was a pretty exciting weekend as I spent the whole of it exploring new places starting with he YETI Welcome BBQ at Manriki Park in Yamanashi-shi on Saturday. It was a really lovely day out and I tasted some delicious food. The park was nice though it did have a rather sad little zoo at the entrance. In the evening everyone went to karaoke at Hops and Herbs which was great fun! Such classics and Queen, Blink 182, Barbie Girl etc were belted out by all. I left moderately early though as on Sunday we left early to drive to Kamakura to go to the beach.

My favorite part of Sunday would have to be our short visit to Hokokuji Temple and the Bamboo forest. It was tucked away and despite being busy, was very peaceful.

It seems I am getting into the habit of gadding about, infinitely more so than in the UK. But I need a break now, I can feel myself wearing down. That being said, I have a three day weekend coming up. This might call for a trip to Kyoto…

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Akeno Sunflower Gardens. With the Sunflowers. Hey a bee. I am one with the Sunflowers. Making our way downflower. Sunflower selfie. Traditional dancers to nontraditional music. A fan who stole the show.

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I ring the giant bell at Daizenji Temple. It takes some strength and I had to wait until the last ring had completely stopped before I hit it. Hence why I’m standing there like a bit of a muppet.

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My Sensei in the art of Japanese etiquette. This my friends, is a grape grown in Yamanashi - I thought it was a plum. Statue of Birth at the entrance to the Daizenji Temple. Statue of Death. Me hitting the bell. View from the top. The serene inner garden.

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Work and Play

Another eventful week, though I have been slightly delayed in my summary of it. So much seems to be happening, any breaks are used for slumping under the A/C, trying to revive myself.

So what has happened this week? Well most importantly for my loved ones, I acquired WiFi! Alas, my long overdue conversation with them was not to be as I immediately had to go on a three day orientation course for the Yamanashi prefecture. To round it up:

Information was good and useful.

 Hotel was ok.

Food was bad.

The company was great!

I made some more really good friends over the three days, namely E and J (married) and the other Luisa (lol) who I’m now taking expensive, semi-private Japanese lessons with!

The best part of the conference was the trip to Daizenji Temple in 勝沼町1. Admittedly it was raining but it was so serene and lovely – other than the pain and humiliation of taking an etiquette lesson while being filmed by a news camera, making awkward bows and the like. But I got to ring and enormous bell so it all evens out in the end.

On Saturday we went to 北杜市2 to see the Akeno Sunflower Garden which was beautiful, if blazingly hot. Despite my best efforts with the sun cream and a pretentious episode with an umbrella, I still managed to get burnt. But a good day in all.There were even some dancers (and a very enthusiastic small child) to keep us entertained.

Last but not least, I have purchased a working microwave and bike with the help of P and K. I’m particularly proud of the bike and it’s so red and shiny! Less proud of the fact I finally caved and got a McDonalds.

1Katsunuma-chō 2Hokuto-shi