Mt. Aso,
Our trip was nearing its end only a few more city's to go, but one more spectacle of nature was awaiting for us known as Mount Aso. This mountain was near Beppu as I pointed out Beppu was full of onsen, and places where a lot of natural heated water is one could also figure that volcano's would be abundant. We went up part of the volcano with bus, and walked to the top. The weather was not great so a lot of mist :( but the big clouds of steam could not be missed. This was like a "ultra hell spring"
The volcano could not be enjoyed as much as I anticipated until we walked the entire way down back to our Shinjuku. The grass was supergreen and fast changing landscape as we descended was really nice. Everything was perfect part from a tiny bit of rain and the ROTTEN EGG SMELL, RAaaaaaaaaaaaarh oh my god that was horrible. You could not only smell it but taste it in the back of your mouth :( So for those that want to visit the volcano bring along sweets to get rid of the taste ;).
Well part from the breathtaking scenery not much to talk about. The public onsen was fun because not many non Asian venture there :)
maandag 7 juni 2010
Japan day 18 and 19
From Hiroshima to Beppu,
We arrived at Beppu, the onsen heaven of Japan... or red light district O_o.. more of that later :)
We arrived at our "hotel" near a huge shopping mall. For reference what I mean with huge think of a hypermarche (shopping mall in France) times 5! This building was hard to miss :). Beppu is located near the sea of Japan and so was our hotel, my room had a nice view over the ocean and shore where you could see more of Beppu in the distance.
Since we were tired from the train trip we decided to eat in a restaurant located in the "ultramarket". And my god, the food was superb. I ate a rice dish with meat on top in a round wooden thingy to keep it warm. All the lovely flavours of meat and sauce where mixed with the rice giving it a nice taste to it. Next up was desert, we did not bother trying it at the restaurant since we spotted 3 restaurants back a very good looking ice cream shop. They had the most unreal but still good looking flavour and colour combinations known to man. Think of the planet Jupiter and that's what the ice cream looked like.
After enjoying this meal we retreated to our hotel to take a dip in the onsen at top floor.
The next day we decided to visit some "hell springs", these stinky pits of steam smell like rotten eggs. This has to do with sulphur they emit. At first it looked interesting but really if you see one you have seen them all. So at the end of the day we ate at the same restaurant and the for me the same dish.
Night-time, I was bored and not sleepy enough to go to sleep, so I decided to venture into the city to see what Beppu had to offer. The city was like a erotic transformer... you know robots in disguise, because at daytime there was no obvious way to tell that there were that many "erotic" places. So there I was surrounded by erotic shops bars and stuff I can't really say what it was. I walked a bit around feeling uncomfortable in hope to find a "normal" bar... I almost gave up hope until I approached a Japanese person who led me to a bar occupied by students from all around the world. Here I met Pam and her friends, we had a great time talking and of course drinking biru (beer), well in her case some toxic drink that looked like poison to me :)
We arrived at Beppu, the onsen heaven of Japan... or red light district O_o.. more of that later :)
We arrived at our "hotel" near a huge shopping mall. For reference what I mean with huge think of a hypermarche (shopping mall in France) times 5! This building was hard to miss :). Beppu is located near the sea of Japan and so was our hotel, my room had a nice view over the ocean and shore where you could see more of Beppu in the distance.
Since we were tired from the train trip we decided to eat in a restaurant located in the "ultramarket". And my god, the food was superb. I ate a rice dish with meat on top in a round wooden thingy to keep it warm. All the lovely flavours of meat and sauce where mixed with the rice giving it a nice taste to it. Next up was desert, we did not bother trying it at the restaurant since we spotted 3 restaurants back a very good looking ice cream shop. They had the most unreal but still good looking flavour and colour combinations known to man. Think of the planet Jupiter and that's what the ice cream looked like.
After enjoying this meal we retreated to our hotel to take a dip in the onsen at top floor.
The next day we decided to visit some "hell springs", these stinky pits of steam smell like rotten eggs. This has to do with sulphur they emit. At first it looked interesting but really if you see one you have seen them all. So at the end of the day we ate at the same restaurant and the for me the same dish.
Night-time, I was bored and not sleepy enough to go to sleep, so I decided to venture into the city to see what Beppu had to offer. The city was like a erotic transformer... you know robots in disguise, because at daytime there was no obvious way to tell that there were that many "erotic" places. So there I was surrounded by erotic shops bars and stuff I can't really say what it was. I walked a bit around feeling uncomfortable in hope to find a "normal" bar... I almost gave up hope until I approached a Japanese person who led me to a bar occupied by students from all around the world. Here I met Pam and her friends, we had a great time talking and of course drinking biru (beer), well in her case some toxic drink that looked like poison to me :)
zondag 16 mei 2010
Japan day 15, 16 and 17
Hiroshima,
Day 1
We stayed in Hiroshima for 3 day`s, the hotel was great there was free coffee and free internet. The only downside was that the USB ports where turned off, so there was no way to upload my pictures from my camera. At first we scouted the local area and next the Peace memorial museum. I did not enter the museum right away because it looked like there was a long waiting line. I shopped a bit and we ate at a nice restaurant.
Day 2
Nearby Hiroshima there was a famous Tori(gate) build in the water near a island. The trip took about 2 hours to get there but it was well worth it. Not only was the scenery below beautiful, but so was the mountain. There where two ways to get up the mountain, by foot or ski-lift. There was a small danger you`d encounter some monkeys but we encountered non. The view was awesome where the ski-lift brought us, but we could even go up higher... Unfortunately only by foot. When we arrived at the absolute top we could see 360 degrees around us. If you ever find the time to visit Japan this is a place worth checking out. The way back we brave souls walked, the distance is not great just many steep stairs to conquer.
Day 3
Well, I wanted to experience the Peace memorial museum on my own so I kept this day for my self part from dinner. What I saw inside hit me hard, it was a real eye-opener, and reminded me how cruel humans can be. Still at this day there are enough nuclear weapons to destroy mankind. And don`t think its only Russia and America with nuclear weapons, but England, France, India and China (I might left out a few) too. I scouted the city a bit absentminded until I arrived at a park... but that was about it for that day, shopping is great but not as cool compared to Tokyo. Shopping was better then Kyoto thought.
Day 1
We stayed in Hiroshima for 3 day`s, the hotel was great there was free coffee and free internet. The only downside was that the USB ports where turned off, so there was no way to upload my pictures from my camera. At first we scouted the local area and next the Peace memorial museum. I did not enter the museum right away because it looked like there was a long waiting line. I shopped a bit and we ate at a nice restaurant.
Day 2
Nearby Hiroshima there was a famous Tori(gate) build in the water near a island. The trip took about 2 hours to get there but it was well worth it. Not only was the scenery below beautiful, but so was the mountain. There where two ways to get up the mountain, by foot or ski-lift. There was a small danger you`d encounter some monkeys but we encountered non. The view was awesome where the ski-lift brought us, but we could even go up higher... Unfortunately only by foot. When we arrived at the absolute top we could see 360 degrees around us. If you ever find the time to visit Japan this is a place worth checking out. The way back we brave souls walked, the distance is not great just many steep stairs to conquer.
Day 3
Well, I wanted to experience the Peace memorial museum on my own so I kept this day for my self part from dinner. What I saw inside hit me hard, it was a real eye-opener, and reminded me how cruel humans can be. Still at this day there are enough nuclear weapons to destroy mankind. And don`t think its only Russia and America with nuclear weapons, but England, France, India and China (I might left out a few) too. I scouted the city a bit absentminded until I arrived at a park... but that was about it for that day, shopping is great but not as cool compared to Tokyo. Shopping was better then Kyoto thought.
Japan day 14
Deep in the mountains,
Yes, again a big change of scenery, we went by train alongside the cliffside of a mountain through tunnels towards our destination. The train made loud annoying noises at every bend in the track. It was so deafening that having earplugs or a headphone was quite the luxury to have. When we arrived at the station we went from train to cable car, that pulled us even further up the mountain. At the top we went by bus cramped together driving through sharp corners towards the temple where we would spend the night. It was really cold at the top but luckily the rooms had their on aircondictioning system so room temperature was great. The temple it self was really nice, classic wooden floors and doors that could only be opened sideways. The mountain was a holy place, this was because long ago a priest went to China returned with scrolls and apparently decided to found his own religion. This hit the people like Ikea took over Europe. When he died it was THE PLACE to be buried in. All the people from Japan envy a spot to burry their ashes along the many great historical figures. Over time it grew in a immense size and everywhere you look there are gravestones and really big trees. Given the fact that it was cold and a bit misty the place gave a magical feeling and at the same time a bit spooky, but beautiful non the less. At the end of the path you will find a temple with monks doing their dally stuff but this is where the superpriest was buried. So of course no pictures are allowed.
Well enough said, enjoy the pictures.
Yes, again a big change of scenery, we went by train alongside the cliffside of a mountain through tunnels towards our destination. The train made loud annoying noises at every bend in the track. It was so deafening that having earplugs or a headphone was quite the luxury to have. When we arrived at the station we went from train to cable car, that pulled us even further up the mountain. At the top we went by bus cramped together driving through sharp corners towards the temple where we would spend the night. It was really cold at the top but luckily the rooms had their on aircondictioning system so room temperature was great. The temple it self was really nice, classic wooden floors and doors that could only be opened sideways. The mountain was a holy place, this was because long ago a priest went to China returned with scrolls and apparently decided to found his own religion. This hit the people like Ikea took over Europe. When he died it was THE PLACE to be buried in. All the people from Japan envy a spot to burry their ashes along the many great historical figures. Over time it grew in a immense size and everywhere you look there are gravestones and really big trees. Given the fact that it was cold and a bit misty the place gave a magical feeling and at the same time a bit spooky, but beautiful non the less. At the end of the path you will find a temple with monks doing their dally stuff but this is where the superpriest was buried. So of course no pictures are allowed.
Well enough said, enjoy the pictures.
dinsdag 11 mei 2010
Japan day 13
Nijo Castle, Manga museum and Go-cafe.
Today I planned to go to the manga museum, on my way I noticed that Nijo castle was right around the corner. From my bus window it looked pretty awesome. So I visited the ancient fort and despite the bad weather it was awesome. The impenetrable walls and massive doors really showed how well it was protected in its time. When entering the main building the floors made a weird squeaky sound. This was security precaution making sure no one could sneak in unnoticed. So we squeaked down the hallway looking at incredible wall paintings and carved out frames above the doors. For me this was worth the money but another big surprise lay hidden behind the fort.... a astonishing garden with little bridges that spanned over the water making it even more beautiful to the eye.
The manga museum was a letdown, there was some history and loads of manga to read, but I did not plan to sit there the entire day reading manga so this was a short visit.
The go-cafe was cool as usual I beat the 89 year old owner but got destroyed by a 4d Japanese player that was actually 4d.
I finished the day eating at the top of Kyoto station looking over the city with Kyoto tower in the background. Awesome few but expensive food, but heck it was my last day in Kyoto so I wanted to end it in style.
Today I planned to go to the manga museum, on my way I noticed that Nijo castle was right around the corner. From my bus window it looked pretty awesome. So I visited the ancient fort and despite the bad weather it was awesome. The impenetrable walls and massive doors really showed how well it was protected in its time. When entering the main building the floors made a weird squeaky sound. This was security precaution making sure no one could sneak in unnoticed. So we squeaked down the hallway looking at incredible wall paintings and carved out frames above the doors. For me this was worth the money but another big surprise lay hidden behind the fort.... a astonishing garden with little bridges that spanned over the water making it even more beautiful to the eye.
The manga museum was a letdown, there was some history and loads of manga to read, but I did not plan to sit there the entire day reading manga so this was a short visit.
The go-cafe was cool as usual I beat the 89 year old owner but got destroyed by a 4d Japanese player that was actually 4d.
I finished the day eating at the top of Kyoto station looking over the city with Kyoto tower in the background. Awesome few but expensive food, but heck it was my last day in Kyoto so I wanted to end it in style.
Japan day 12
Bleh, still bad weather... well only one bad weather day to go and it should improve. Our goal for today was to go to Nara (old capitol of Japan). We took the slow train to Nara from Kyoto and walked from their to the park where temples where scattered across. This place was packed with dears, the reason they walk around is that a old god or something on a white dear visited the place... and it became holy. Well be careful of them critters cos they eat anything in their reach, like paper and plastic bags. Our guide told us that on one of the trips a dear ate a rail-pass and its worth is about 500 euro! I walked further in the park where a HUGE temple was located, on entering you`l face a buddha the size of Godzilla. The ear of this statue is 2 meters high... just to point out size.
Part from the giant buddha and wild animals there were Lemming like school-groups walking all over the place. Funny and cute at the same time. On my way back I met 3 Japanese schoolboys around the age of 15 again who seemed to be interested in me. We ended up going to Kyoto where they showed me some Anime shops. But for Anime one should really buy it in Akihabara. I played some arcade games with them and at the end of the day they showed me a nice place to eat udon noodles or something (thick noodles). I really enjoyed eating that with my biru (beer).
Part from the giant buddha and wild animals there were Lemming like school-groups walking all over the place. Funny and cute at the same time. On my way back I met 3 Japanese schoolboys around the age of 15 again who seemed to be interested in me. We ended up going to Kyoto where they showed me some Anime shops. But for Anime one should really buy it in Akihabara. I played some arcade games with them and at the end of the day they showed me a nice place to eat udon noodles or something (thick noodles). I really enjoyed eating that with my biru (beer).
Japan day 11
Still in Kyoto with average weather but that was expected (weather report predicted rain). Today I took a bus ride with two companions to the famous golden temple. The bus ride from Kyoto station lasted an hour and was for 90% of the trip in a straight line. The temple was beautiful but I expected a bit more, but then it happened!!! communication with the local natives errr Japanese. A group of schoolchildren around the age of 15 wanted to ask me some questions in English. Do note that the Japanese speak almost no English part from 10 words or so. Also women speak English way better then man plus they are cute so a win win situation for me ;D. First question: Excuse me can I ask you a question; I said sure
Second question: Do you speak English; Here I replied NO with a big smile and that seemed to break the tension. Before I knew it I was surrounded by schoolchildren like hyenas surrounding their prey. Of course in a polite Japanese way. So they kept asking me questions from their schoolbook and at the end they wanted my signature as proof for fulfilling their objective. Second stage: pictures. My companion offered to take some pictures... In Japan this means you have to make a picture for everyone with their own camera. I think this has to do with treating people equal for example when you leave a shop the shop-clerk thanks every single person when leaving. So there she was taking like 6 pictures.
Second stage: I walked a bit further nothing special to see part from the Golden Temple, until the other half of the class spotted me and the process described above repeated, don`t get me wrong I was enjoying myself. This time the teacher was also present and the funny part was he needed to ask his students for help with his English. Since that did not work out he changed into a super paparazzi and started to takes photos of us in every angle one can imagine.
On my way back I decided to visit a local Go-cafe, Go is a board game like chess. For those planning to do this trip its near the Kyoto station (walking distance that don`t require holes in your socks). The place was awesome not as fancy as in Hikaru no Go (anime), but the place was packed with Go-bans. I ended up destroying the master three times in a row and then a other Japanese player who was fairly strong.
For dinner this time we went to Kyoto station where we tasted the famous roller coaster sushi, you know the one where they make the Sushi in front of you and puts the plates on a transportation band... It was delicious.
Well enough spamming from me look at the piczzzz
Second question: Do you speak English; Here I replied NO with a big smile and that seemed to break the tension. Before I knew it I was surrounded by schoolchildren like hyenas surrounding their prey. Of course in a polite Japanese way. So they kept asking me questions from their schoolbook and at the end they wanted my signature as proof for fulfilling their objective. Second stage: pictures. My companion offered to take some pictures... In Japan this means you have to make a picture for everyone with their own camera. I think this has to do with treating people equal for example when you leave a shop the shop-clerk thanks every single person when leaving. So there she was taking like 6 pictures.
Second stage: I walked a bit further nothing special to see part from the Golden Temple, until the other half of the class spotted me and the process described above repeated, don`t get me wrong I was enjoying myself. This time the teacher was also present and the funny part was he needed to ask his students for help with his English. Since that did not work out he changed into a super paparazzi and started to takes photos of us in every angle one can imagine.
On my way back I decided to visit a local Go-cafe, Go is a board game like chess. For those planning to do this trip its near the Kyoto station (walking distance that don`t require holes in your socks). The place was awesome not as fancy as in Hikaru no Go (anime), but the place was packed with Go-bans. I ended up destroying the master three times in a row and then a other Japanese player who was fairly strong.
For dinner this time we went to Kyoto station where we tasted the famous roller coaster sushi, you know the one where they make the Sushi in front of you and puts the plates on a transportation band... It was delicious.
Well enough spamming from me look at the piczzzz
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