Lake Chuzenji, Kinugawa and Nikko

We have had a busy few days out of town organised by Ikoko. We visited the atmospheric lake Chuzenji and the nearby waterfalls,  and spent the night in a golf course hotel, which was on special offer. I certainly learned more about slipper culture here and struggled to grasp the need to wear a pair for the 50cm space between the front door and the tatami covered floor of the bedroom but NOT in the toilet, where separate toilet slippers are provided. I also observed very keen Japanese golfers at 7am lining up their buggies and practicing their putting, the scenery was beautiful though so they didn't spoil the view too much.

Day 2 was spent in Kinugawa. We walked by the river and then tried out the fabulous hot spring baths in the hotel. I loved this...drifting from one very hot bath to another, all with different natural minerals and then showering with a choice of complimentary products. We sampled the buffet dinner, which was a real feast and I witnessed Cathal's attempt to get into the Guinness Book of Records for amount eaten at one sitting; he really did eat solidly for 3 hours, I left after 1 1/2 hours for a massage and he was still at it when I got back.

Day 3 was spent visiting the shrine town of Nikko, most famous for Toshogu, Japan's most lavishly decorated shrine and the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. We saw the main sights and despite the icy wind, the weather was beautiful. I yet again indulged in some Japanese language butchering, referring to a well known snack as a 'warm group' and then as a paper dragon', Ikoko and Cathal try to keep straight faces during my attempts but I appear to be suffering from some sort of dyslexia and transpose vowels and syllables without a care for subsequent miscommunication.

It has been a lovely few days, it is much greener and more picturesque than I was expecting. I am now planning my next few days as I validate my rail pass tomorrow and so will have unlimited train travel for 2 weeks. I'm planning to head north and visit some of the places affected by the tsunami, however this may depend on trains and places to stay...I'm going to see where I end up.

Tall buildings, sushi and Harajuko

Despite sampling sake for the first time last night I managed to be up bright and early this morning, the sun was shining and Tokyo was calling.....five hours later Cathal and I managed to leave the house. We're not quite sure what delayed us...Vietnamese coffee, big breakfast, exchange rate checks, weather checks, looking at Spanish sportsmen on the internet, deciding that Feliciano Lopez is no longer in my top ten list of attractive sportsmen, recounting stories about Spanish footballers I have met, failing again in mastering Japanese slipper wearing etiquette and committing further crimes against tatami, recapping on Japanese pronunciation, spreading more of my belongings around the house, trying on hats, hanging out washing, bringing washing in....the list goes on.

When we finally made it into town first stop was Ginza and I went straight to Uniqlow to get some more suitable Japan clothes. Cathal had kindly agreed to come with me but soon had second thoughts. I accomplished my mission of jeans and a couple of warmer tops in 1/2 an hour, not bad I thought. Ginza is probably equivalent to Oxford Street and although there we lots of people around it was closed to cars so didn't feel busy. There is also a much slower pace here, which really surprised me, people tend to stroll through the streets rather than rush and every one queues.

Next stop Shinjuko, the world's busiest station and the skyscraper area of Tokyo. Today was a national holiday so there were many less commuters but still a nice buzz. Some of the buildings were impressive and we went up the Government building for some roof top views.We then found a small sushi bar for a very late lunch/early dinner. On the whole this was a pleasant experience and of really high quality except for the sea urchins....I have only eaten cooked ones before so did not know if the rather acrid taste ( which reminded me of toilets) was normal or not. Cathal volunteered to try one too and confirmed my suspicions.....sea urchins which had passed their prime.:(. We are both confident that our robust constitutions will withstand the small mouthful of dodgy sea food and that the beer we drank and ginger we ate will combat any bacterial attack, so far so good.....but  watch this space.

Our last quick stop was to Harajuko, a famous trendy shopping area...think Carnaby Street/Kings Road/North Laine. It was the wrong time of day for the real hard core fashionistas, although I did spot a few fairy girls but still well worth a visit.

We were lucky to get a direct train home and I've thrown a few random items into a bag ready for our road trip to Nikko tomorrow.

Loitering with intent

Happy with my purchases

The name of a gym

Japan and early attempts at Japanese

I arrived safely and without incident. It was hard to get any sleep because both legs of the journey were short but despite this I landed at Narita, followed Cathal's excellent directions and arrived at Ueno station by 2.20. We had a tempura lunch and then travelled back to Cathal's house in the northern suburbs where I lasted until 9pm before falling asleep....Cathal had made my bed beautifully and even gave me a sheet instead of a table cloth.

Morning one in Japan was spent in down town Miyashiro- Machi,  which is near a river and in place feels like the country side.In some ways it feels so familiar and more like Europe than anywhere else I've been and then I look closer and see all the little differences. In the evening I was tasked with getting myself  9 stops along the train line to Koshigaya to meet Cathal and Ikoko for dinner...I was very proud of myself for doing this as most of the signs were in Japanese and not all the trains stopped there. We had a great evening in an izakaya, a type of eating bar where I had beer and lots to eat...great fun.

a neighbour's house with a nice garden

chez Cathal

STOP

STOP

Familiar yet different

Friday was spent looking at shrines. We started off locally in Koshigaya with a small local but active shrine, where there was a small carboot sale. We moved on to a bigger and older shrine not far away in Hisaizu and finally into the centre of Tokyo to the Asakusa area. On the one hand it felt strange to see these old and elaborate buildings in the middle of a modern city but actually we see this in the West all the time with our churches and cathedrals. We wandered around the Asakusa area for a while, into a small handicrafts museum and some of the surprisingly quiet backstreets.  We saw some of the Tokyo skyline, including the  Asahi Building, commonly known as the giant turd! Lots more food was consumed...I sampled Okinamiyaki and tried Japanese fast food in Yoshinoya, a well known chain here.

From language point of view two central themes seem to be emerging. Firstly I have been collecting examples of the strange and often incomprehensible use of English on signs. in slogans and as brand names...there are a few examples below and I'm sure I'm going to find many more. Secondly I have been causing much mirth and inappropriate hysteria by my inability to retain place names and instead to create new place names, Japanese in essence but not as nature intended.. The well known food chain mentioned above has been referred to as Yashimata, Yokinosha...etc. Perhaps my worst/most amusing creation so far has been in trying to say Kasukabe ( a near by metro stop)when Cathal had stopped laughing he informed me I had just called it ' arse-pervert'...I am never going to this station!

 Hisaizi shrine Koshigaya

Cathal's attempt to make it look like the Asahi Building (the giant turd) is on my head

 Asakusa main shrine gate

 Asakusa

 A bar

local

Koshigaya shrine

Carboot sale Japanese style, at Koshigaya local shrine