Back From Japan April 20, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentWow, with about 2,000 photos and a fortnight of non-stop eating and sightseeing, Tik and I have really got our work cut out to update the blog. We’re organizing the photos as I type.
Here’s a selection of the stuff we’ve been busy with: (in no particular order)
Tik Throws Our Her Trainers April 19, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan , add a commentTik was proud to have paid just 200 baht for her trainers from a local seller in Bangkok.
These would have been the best purchase ever, were it not for the fact that the plastic support broke through the lining and cut into her feet. She persisted until the last day of our trip and ceremoniously binned them.
Bus Trip to Shiragawa-go April 18, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentOur bus left to the exact second it was scheduled to leave and took us from Takayama to Shiragawa-go where we were spending the night.
Here are some photos of the local scenery, taken from the bus.
Lunch in Takayama April 18, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan , add a commentWe stumbled on a great restaurant to have lunch in today which served traditional foods of the area.
A Day in Takayama – Japan Day 14 April 18, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan , add a commentWe enjoyed an easy morning walking round Takayama. It’s a very quaint village, with friendly citizens and some great arts and crafts.
We wandered around, visited their local markets, intent on filling our stomachs with anything that we’d not yet tried.
A local market trader selling apples. Note the clever apple-peeling machine she’s using.
This was from a local gift shop where we bought all the souvenirs we needed in one efficient 30 minutes.
After eating all we could at the local markets, it was naturally time for lunch.
Arriving in Takayama – Japan Day 13 April 17, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentWe arrived in the about 5pm in Takayama, a beautiful quiet town in a mountain area thats compared favorably with the Swiss Alps.
Much of the local architecture is old and wooden and the town sports some unique craft stores.
We spent the night with Martin, a very hospitable Couchsurfer who was really enjoying his life. Martin worked as a teaching assistant which meant he worked with far less stress than a full-time teacher unlike other teachers we met, he lived a lifestyle that very much made the most of his time there.
Martin treated us to some traditional Japanese tea before taking us out to explore the bars for a bite to eat.
Cute Apology Sign April 17, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan , add a commentWe found this sign amusing.
Another Fantastic Meal April 17, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan , add a commentWe had this traditional meal set in Takayama,
Note the leaf that cooks our food over the clay pot, the fantastic local marbled beef that was very similar to traditional Kobe steak and also note that we pretty much ate everything we possibly could.
I can’t quite remember what the paste on top of the leaf was called but again it’s another delicious local food.
Pachinko April 17, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan , 1 comment so farI still don’t understand the attraction of Pachinko, but it’s quite obvious that the Japanese love it. There are pachinko parlors all over Japan.
They are REALLY noisy!
Tokyo to Takayama – Japan Day 13 April 17, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentHere’s a few photos we took from the train as we travelled from Tokyo to Takayama.
We stopped briefly in Nagoya for a bite to eat.
A Night At A Capsule Hotel, Tokyo – Japan Day 12 April 16, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentCapsule hotels are space-efficient places to stay and are usually found in the city centers.
They are mainly used by Japanese businessmen but there are a rare few that have separate floors for women.
A Night On The Town, Tokyo – Japan Day 12 April 16, 2009
Posted by Martin in : CouchSurfing, japan, travel , add a commentWe’d arranged to meet Aikiko (and her friend Yuka) in central Tokyo to experience authentic tokyo nightlife.
Aikiko is a fellow Couchsurfer and both her and her friend Yuka spoke perfect English, have a very sharp sense of humor and we couldn’t have hoped for better hosts to spend our time with.
After an enjoyable dinner together we went to a bar in Omoide
yokocho (translates at ‘memory side-street’).
The area used to be a popular haunt for Yakuza but nowadays it’s safe, friendly and very fun.
We enjoyed refreshing beers here and also an assortment of grilled nibbles such as the mushrooms below.
The bar was only small and after about 90 minutes we were asked to vacate our seats for waiting customers but got a lot through some great food, drink and conversation during that time.
We left Aikiko and Yuka about 10pm and headed for a Pachinko parlor to finish off the evening.
Shibuya Crossing, Tokyo April 16, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentShibuya is similar to Picadilly Circus in London. It contains large stores, bright lights and, a hell of a lot of people.
Edo-Tokyo Museum, Ryogoku, Tokyo – Japan Day 11 April 16, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentWe returned to Ryogoku (the sumo area) during the daytime to visit the Edo-Tokyo museum.
This well-organized museum details the history of the city and contains both life-sized replicas of authentic buildings as well as very detailed miniatures.
Sumo Food in Ryogoku, Tokyo – Japan Day 10 April 15, 2009
Posted by Martin in : japan, travel , add a commentIt was time for some serious Tokyo food so I decided to take Tik to Ryogoku which houses Tokyo’s sumo stadium.
The guidebook suggested we’d see a lot of sumo wrestlers walking around but April is not sumo season and apparently the high rental costs in the area mean that most wresting schools have since relocated.
It didn’t take us long to find a restaurant offering ‘Chanko-nabe’ which is a favorite Sumo wrestler food.
