Chapter Fifty – “My Eastern Experience – Part 1: Japan”

From my recent travel journal, composed during my time in Japan.

Day 1 – Saturday, 3^rd October 2015 (‘So it begins’)

                The day had finally arrived. It had taken a year to organise and plan, but soon I would be heading off to Gatwick, jetting off to the other side of the world – twenty five years after making the same journey in the opposite direction. Who would have thought it?

                I had very much been looking forward to this trip to Japan and Korea, and my two week break from work, but unfortunately it coincided with the induction of two  new staff members in the department – and in the light of my recent promotion, I had chosen to act as a mentor. Alas, no room in my luggage for a stowaway! This trip also coincided with my latest university deadline – submission of an essay that no-one seemed to understand. However, thankfully we were given a three week extension, meaning I didn’t need to panic. After all, I intended to enjoy this holiday.  Getting to grips with the Japanese language was enough to worry about!

                After finalising my packing (7kg luggage in comparison to the 13kg and 16kg bags of my two travelling companions), Dave met me at the house at one, to drive us to the airport. Our check in time was just after three o’clock, and after heading to the wrong terminal we got back on track and soon enough found ourselves in the departure lounge for the first leg of our journey. What a trio we were – Abre, a tall, slim African with (I suspect) a better knowledge of Japanese language and customs than myself; then Dave, a typical Brit; finally myself, Japanese-British, and in the words of the author Bill Bryson, no doubt soon to feel “totally out of place in the land of one’s birth”. The single Japanese phrase I’d memorised, ‘Watashi wa Nihon jin desu’ (‘I am a Japanese’) may only serve to confuse the Japanese locals when they try to engage me in conversation!

                So anyway, there we were in the departure lounge, waiting for four o’clock to come so we could head to our gate; our first leg to Istanbul would leave just after five. We would have a brief change over in Istanbul – somewhere I’d explored in detail previously, on my gap year in 2008.

                The three hour flight passed reasonably uneventfully – I enjoyed watching the movie ‘Inside Out’ and tucked in to the airline chicken dinner. It was amazing to see Istanbul from the air as we began our descent, but unfortunately it was too dark to make out any specific landmarks.

                At Istanbul airport, while we waited for our gate details to be displayed, we got talking to a couple of other British travellers (who had also just met at the airport, finding they had their nationality in common). Sam, who worked with the Internet, was flying to Japan to improve his Japanese, while Alessi, a guitarist and singer by profession, was travelling for her work. At any rate, they helped the transition pass pleasantly with friendly conversation. Before long we were on our next flight, and I set to wondering how to pass the next ten hours, as sleep has never been particularly easy  on flights. We will be arriving 6pm Sunday, local time. As I sign off London is 00:10 on Sunday morning. See you in Japan!

Day 2 – Sunday, 4^th October 2015 (‘Arrival in Asakusa’)

                As the plane continued on its ten hour journey, it became clear to me that I needed a way to pass the time, as I was finding it difficult to sleep. I browsed through the plane’s movie selection and settled back to enjoy ‘Goldfinger’. There was also more airline food to be enjoyed (and then once more before the flight was through). Throughout the journey I found myself speaking both Spanish (to some other travellers) and Turkish (to the staff), so it was difficult to think in Japanese when we touched down.

                By this point I’d finally resolved to change my watch to the local time, and we disembarked around five and made for the subway. Having been travelling for so long, with confusing time changes, I was unsure whether I was tired or awake, so after we’d booked into our ‘Laboratory’ room in Asakusa, we went for a quiet stroll through the local streets, saw a temple (taking good pictures in the dark isn’t easy), got yet more food, and then retired to our room to prepare for the day ahead. I still can’t believe I’m actually back in Japan!

Day 3 – Monday, 5^th October 2015 (‘In Shinjuku’)

                Looking back, it has been a good day – the first full Japanese day of the holiday. I was feeling a lot better for having a full night’s sleep – despite sinking somewhat into the mattress. I woke up at nine, and watched some random-looking Japanese TV pizza/news/robot/gameshow while I waited for the bathroom. How I wish I could understand the language!

                When we were all ready we headed out on our exploration. However, as soon as we reached the metro station, I realised I’d left my railcard behind in my bag in the room. With a sigh I hurriedly purchased a day ticket and rushed with the others on to our train.

                Our first main stop of the day was a surprise Abre had planned for us. Thankfully for Dave, it wasn’t a ride on a fire engine, but he wasn’t far wrong – we were to pay a visit to Ikebukuro Life Safety Learning Centre, to experience an earthquake. After explaining to the lady that I would rather have English subtitles on for the movie presentation, we sat and learned about the devastation to East Japan by the 2011 tsunami; 30,000 people died. (It’s at times like this that it is sometimes hard to believe that God is still in control, but I have to remember his good promises to me.) We were then introduced to an earthquake simulation by a talking cartoon elephant (everything in Japan is described by a cartoon, it seems), before finding ourselves hiding under a table with cushions pressed against our heads. This was a simulation, but I can only wonder how I would feel if I ever found myself in the real situation.

                After this we moved on, following Abre to St Mary’s Cathedral. My first reaction upon seeing the tower and cross, was “It’s encouraging to know that there is a church in this country”. However, being Roman Catholic, I couldn’t help wanting to pray that these people would find direction, and so as I sat In a pew I offered up a quiet petition, and read the first few verses of Psalm 40.

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.

He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.

He had given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be amazed.

They will put their trust in the Lord. (v1-3)

                Just after a quick lunch, we wandered into Shinjuku in search of the Japan Sword Museum. However, on arriving we found the place locked up. ‘Closed on Mondays’ the sign read. So we moved on.

                Our next stop was more successful. Abre led us to the ‘Oslo Batting Cages’, a small games venue where we could all try our hand at baseball batting, facing a barrage of 80kmh balls. Abre and Dave did well, but I only hit four – my style was too much like rounders, and I had the wrong technique. What can you expect, with my lack of baseball experience?

                Soon enough we were walking again, trying to find the Shinjuku Gyoen Park as we didn’t have much else in mind for the time being. We somehow found ourselves wandering through the red light district en route, but soon we were at the park – closed on Mondays. Abre was confused as to how a park about the size of Richmond Park, to put it in perspective, could be completely shut, but we couldn’t really do anything, and the sky was turning dark, so we decided to head back to our room.

                Back in the room we packed for an evening visit to the Onsen (public baths). Now, contrary to traditional practise, we packed our swimming shorts in the hope the locals may not mind. (As we packed, I also realised my train ticket had been in my rucksack the whole time!)

                We arrived at the Onsen and purchased a soap and rented towels. After changing into our swimming shorts we headed in to shower. All appeared to be going smoothly until a couple of young lads came up to me and explained – in slightly nervous and hesitant English – that it wasn’t done to wear shorts and that I should remove them. It seemed we had no choice.

                The evening, however, was the highlight of my day. After changing into smart clothes, we went back out to the region we had visited earlier on. After enjoying a quick bowl of dumplings and ramen, at my suggestion, we entered the Hyatt Park Hotel (made famous in the movie, ‘Lost in Translation’) to a hidden gem on the 52^nd floor. In my brown jeans and casual shirt I suddenly felt very underdressed. As we entered the New York Bar, a jazz band was playing and I suddenly felt very privileged and part of an elite crowd. I'm not normally one for cocktails, but tonight, to celebrate my return to Japan, I felt like making an exception. The mood was right, the music was perfect, so I ordered a ‘King Street’ cocktail – non-alcoholic, with elderflower and lime. Best to start light. As we enjoyed our drinks, and the music, and endeavoured to get a good photo of the Tokyo skyline, I couldn’t help thinking how brilliant everything seemed. I felt cultured, and almost unworthy of such posh surroundings. In conclusion, a perfect end to the day, and if anything, I’m even more in love with jazz. I could have listened all night.

Day 4 – Tuesday, 6^th October 2015 (‘Fish for breakfast’)

                Today started off early. I don’t usually mind early starts, but my phone had inadvertently gone off at three o’clock (an unwanted commercial call), and I hadn’t got settled since. We left the hostel shortly after six and made our way to the fish market at Tsukiji to get some fresh sushi for breakfast. From our previous outings I knew that 3,000 Yen was normally enough for lunch, but as we travelled out on the metro I really began to question whether I had come out underprepared – after all, today would involve breakfast, lunch, a riverboat ride and a visit to the Tokyo Skytree at least. I was certain I would be struggling by lunchtime. To avoid embarrassment and worry, I decided to keep quiet for the moment, and simply be as careful as I could with my money.

                When we arrived in Tsukiji it took a bit of time for us to find a place for breakfast. Abre and Dave eventually settled on a streetside oyster vendor. From my previous history with seafood, I thought it sensible to stick to something I knew, and so I waited until we found a place offering sets of nigari sushi. More to my liking. As we all enjoyed the sushi together, we were given green tea to drink. It was interesting to see the chefs preparing our food in front of us, so I had absolutely no issues with the quality of our food.

                Due to our early start, the morning seemed to pass by so slowly. We passed a shop selling souvenir chopsticks and I gave in to the urge to buy a few sets as gifts for friends and family. I was pleased with my purchase, but because they cost over 1000 Yen in total, I was keenly aware that my money supply was already running low.

                We travelled onwards into the Chuo district, where we saw the Imperial Palace, having wandered through the nearby park and joined with the throng of other tourists. Although I couldn’t fault its imposing appearance, some of us were left thinking it could have had a more picturesque setting, considering the appearance of the surrounding moat.

                Then, just before lunch we travelled to Tokyo station to visit a museum situated in the old post office building – ‘Intermediatheque’, a collaboration with the University Museum of Tokyo University. There were a few interesting artefacts, such as the skiagraphy of a hand, but on the whole I found I wasn’t that enthused. I wasn’t really able to linger over the pieces as I had to keep up with the others, and in addition I was beginning to get hungry.

                It must be said that en route to the museum, Abre and I searched in vain for the bronze statue of Hachiko, the professor’s dog. Despite my confidence that it was situated outside Tokyo station, there was no sign of him. Disappointingly I didn’t get my much longed-for photo, and I reluctantly moved on.

                After a passable lunch of karaage chicken in a smoky basement restaurant, discussing the pros and cons of Japanese missionary work on my part, I broke the news about my lack of money to Abre. We discussed prices and I realised that unless we went back via the hostel, I would certainly need to owe Abre and Dave for the rest of our afternoon out, and pay them back when I could. Abre agreed to help, but I couldn’t shake off the embarrassment of asking for charity.

                Our next visit was to the Hama-rikyu gardens, with its beautiful islands and trees, picturesque tea houses and serene atmosphere. As I walked around and took photos to try and capture the beauty of the place, an unexpected and immensely frustrating thing happened – my digital camera froze, and the lens wouldn’t retract. I had not experienced this problem with my current camera, and I only hoped this wasn’t an irreversible fault. Despite my numerous efforts to solve the problem, I soon realised that the camera was now making a rattling noise – not a good sign. I was determined not to miss out on the experience of enjoying the garden, so I used my phone for photographs instead. Abre also ran out of film with his camera. We were having a bad camera day!

                With the combined contributions from Dave and Abre, we next embarked on a river boat trip to take us back to Asakusa. However, the chatter from the Japanese crowd was so loud we found it practically impossible to hear the recording of the tour guide (in English) over the speakers. As such, we had to entertain ourselves. As my companions were in conversation, I soon found myself snoozing.

                On disembarking I thought my troubles would be over, and that we would be going via the hostel. Alas, we went straight to the Tokyo Skytree for our bird’s eye view over the city. Abre and Dave again reassured me that they would pay for my ticket. Although still angry at myself for not taking more money this morning, I gratefully accepted their kindness. The Tembo Deck, on the 250^th floor gave us an all-round view of the Tokyo skyline, but I struggled to work out what I was seeing. I think I was just able to make out Mount Fuji in the distance, but we’ll see that closer up tomorrow as we travel to Kyoto. The view was breathtaking, despite not being on the uppermost gallery (we figured there wasn’t much else to see), and the sunset cast a pink glow over the city. It was amazing to see just how big Tokyo was!

                At last we returned to the hostel for a breather. Dave had asked earlier on, “Why are the holidays so exhausting?” and I had to agree with him. My ankles, always the first to go, were on the verge of collapsing.

                With more money in my pocket we went out for dinner, and to visit the famous electric district of Akihabara, in the hope of finding an iPad for Dave. Although it was eventually decided best to wait to get back to the UK before making the purchase, we explored plenty of computer shops and anime stores – some more graphic than others, if you’ll excuse the pun. It was hard to know where to look at times. Before we returned to our room (for the last time), we enjoyed another dinner of ramen, whilst discussing the highlights of past Cornerstone weddings.

                To close the day I came back, completed this update and prepared for a peaceful night’s sleep (please) before the busy adventures of tomorrow.

Day 5 – Wednesday, 7^th October 2015 (‘Crossing over to Kyoto’)

                Today we said goodbye to the ‘Tokyo Khaosan Laboratory’, although thankfully we didn’t have to vacate our room till eleven at the latest. As such, it had been a long and restful night – I had remembered to put my phone on silent.  As the others got showered, I watched a TV show in which an old Southern guitarist was teaching the Japanese presenter the local dialect (“Y’all”), and then the Japanese presenter replied by teaching the American to repeat Wordsworth’s ‘Daffodills’, while they discussed the various poetry styles. This was followed by a lesson in rhyming, “This is the house that Jack built” (more on this in lesson seven). We got bored when they started talking about the political and socio-economic history of Japan. Japanese TV is strange. I would fit right in.

                For breakfast, on our way to Tokyo station, we visited a small shop called ‘Mister Donut’. Going purely by appearance I ordered – as I discovered – a sausage roll, maple stick and a cheesy prawn pastry – not an apple Danish, as I discovered to my disappointment. And it wasn’t water in the little tub (so I thought, for cooling my tea), but rather syrup solution, not good for drinking neat. Breakfast fail!

                After we’d dropped off our bags at the luggage lockers at Tokyo station and been shouted at by the automated voice, to “INSERT YOUR MONEY NOW!”, we made for the Shibuya crossing, the world’s busiest (and probably most famous) intersection, complete with its own news channel and multiple audio speakers. I also participated in a very entertaining game of ‘Where’s James on the Shibuya crossing?’ and discovered my special ability – turning invisible when amongst other orientals. On a more serious note, the chaos of the crossing, with its jumble of people, and numerous TV  screens and messages vying for our attention, made a good illustration of the world in which we live – which message do we listen to?

                Then it occurred to me that the Hachiko statue was actually at Shibuya station, so I went in search of my dog. I found the statue reasonably quickly and joined the crowd of fans waiting to be photographed. Happy with my acquisition, we backtracked to Harajuku Omotesandu district, ‘the Gangnam of Tokyo’.

                Passing by the various upmarket fashion shops, shops shaped like trees, and toilets designed by famous architects, we went in search of lunch. Abre had researched an out of the way place specialising in monjayaki, food cooked on hotplates in front of us. Little did we realise we would be cooking the food ourselves, following step by step instructions on a little card. I poured my ingredients out onto the hotplate with some trepidation, resulting in very crispy pork and minor panic as I put the noodles on two stages too early. My resulting yakisoba wasn’t  much to look at, but it filled a hole. (A couple of Japanese girls put everyone to shame as they seemed to be the only ones who knew what to do, but even they experienced a cooking fail, sending a plume of smoke soaring to the ceiling amid squeals of laughter.) A unique experience.

                Whilst in the area, we also visited the Yoyogi National Stadium, built for the 1964 Olympics. Unfortunately we were unable to see inside, as it was being used by a goth group called ‘Acid Black Cherry’ for their 2015 tour.

                Dave also started up an interesting debate surrounding the prevalence of mens’ handbags. My view was that they were fine if accepted by the culture, but I might think twice about wearing one over my shoulder back in London. We agreed to differ, but I suspect it will become a topic of continual hilarity throughout our trip, if not beyond.

                We couldn’t say goodbye to Tokyo without visiting the famous Meiji Shrine. From an accompanying booklet I also learnt something of the origins of Shinto, but was saddened to read the ‘prayer’ requests that people had offered up to deities, or divine spirits (‘Kami’). The Japanese people definitely recognised nature as something beautiful, but came to the wrong conclusion. Surrounded by people praying to shrines, I also felt a need to pray. Finding a quiet corner, I sat down and prayed over the words of Psalm 100, asking that God would open blind eyes.

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!

Worship the Lord with gladness.

Come before him, singing with joy.

Acknowledge that the Lord is God!

We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.

Give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good.

His unfailing love continues forever,

And his faithfulness continues to each generation.

                As time passed on, we hurriedly reclaimed our bags and rushed for the Shinkansen (‘bullet train’) for our three and a half hour journey to Kyoto. Initially, for want of three adjoining seats, I found myself sitting next to a Japanese businessman, busy on his laptop. Consequently his window blind was down, so I was unable to admire the scenery and spot Mount Fuji as we passed by. I tried numerous times to take photos of the pink sunset, evocative of some tropical paradise, but the buildings were speeding by at such a rate as to make an unobscured view non-existent. Soon enough it was too dark to see anything, and we emerged into Kyoto station in need of food and lodging.

                Our new accommodation was easy enough to find, being not too far from the station. However, being unable to open our mailbox we had to improvise a way of obtaining the key – my souvenir chopsticks helped with this. The apartment itself was very comfortable – and very Japanese, complete with low tables and thin dividing walls. After exploring our new dwelling in some detail we left for dinner.

                We eventually found a place to eat at the station, after seeing all the architectural delights offered by the building design. On sitting down to our ramen and being confronted with eggs to add to our meal, I had a mild panic and, not knowing the proper etiquette, asked our waiter to crack my egg for me. He duly hit it on the table and broke it into my bowl, much to the amusement of the others. The meal itself was filling, and we enjoyed it.

                Ramen was becoming a habit, as this was our third consecutive ramen dinner. It was interesting comparing the styles. Our phrase, “You can’t go wrong with ramen!”, seemed to be ringing true.

                On returning to our rooms, one battle remained – facing an indecipherable Japanese washing machine.

Day 6 – Thursday, 8^th October 2015 (‘Back in the saddle’)

                It was reassuring to know we had a plan for today. I was thrown into a state of slight panic when asked if I’d prepared things for us to do in ‘my portion of the trip’ – Kyoto. Abre provided the direction.

                Before our day’s adventure properly began we got breakfast at a Western-style coffee shop. For me, it was pastries and tea again, but thankfully, due to English translation, this time I bought what I intended, a cheese and ham pastry to start, and an apple Danish. Not a prawn in sight!

                Once we were properly energised we went off to rent our bikes for the day. Although I knew I could ride a bike in theory, in practise I hadn’t succeeded in riding one since my pre-university days. So it was with some trepidation that I started off, rather shakily. Two differences were quickly evident in comparison with English riding – firstly, there were no cycle helmets; secondly, people cycled on the pavement. It all felt very strange, and would have gone against numerous British laws and customs. For safety, the three of us developed a strategy – Abre, as navigator, would lead the way, I would follow, and Dave would tail me, ensuring my safety when overtaking cars or other things in my path. It was a trying experience, and I started off nervously. As the day drew on, however, my confidence increased – though I admit I did fall off once, trying to avoid a pedestrian on one side of the pavement and a gulley on the other, shattering my rear reflector in the process. But no harm done to me; I’m a hardy soul!

                Setting off in search of various temples and shrines, we parked our bikes at the foot of Mount Higashiyama and trekked up the wooded mountainside to see the ‘glass teahouse’ at the summit, an ornamental work crafted by Tokujin Yoshioka (born 1967). The teahouse itself was an impressive structure, but in some ways the surroundings were more so, as it was situated on a wooden terrace overlooking the whole of Kyoto – a much smaller city than Tokyo. The Imperial Palace could be seen in the middle of this vista, situated amongst more dense woodland. Our next stop.

                We cycled onwards to the Imperial Palace, entering through the gates of the grounds like three noble warriors, leading our steeds and approaching the palace to give our message to the Emperor. However, unknown to us, we needed to have booked a guided tour well in advance of our arrival, and so we were denied access to the building itself. Vanquished, we ended our noble voyage.

                En route to find a good place for lunch, Abre discovered the Kyoto Manga Museum, quite by chance. There was nothing to interest me here really, so I was glad to move on. Not understanding the system, I managed to park my bike for free, while we went off to find lunch. We settled on a small shop selling Japanese Fried Chicken (JFC) and beer, and enjoyed our food whilst contemplating that this was to be our last full day in Japan. I definitely wanted to return one day and explore the country more.

                While we chatted, a group of kimono-clad girls came over to order. My initial thoughts from seeing others dressed similarly earlier on, was that they were geishas (as I had been told about by my cousins), but Abre figured they were probably school pupils celebrating some form of coming of age ceremony. Either way, they looked very elegant – something the Japanese do very well.

                Our final sight before returning our bikes to the shop, was a famous shrine, Hashimi-Nari (or in my words, the ‘Orange shrine’), one of many leading up another hillside. We didn’t have time to explore in detail. It was beginning to get dark, and we needed to return the bikes. There were a lot more ‘geishas’ here, and numerous stone foxes – animals somehow associated with good luck and fortune telling. As a site recommended by Trip Advisor, it was apt that the first thing I did was stumble on the steps!

                By now, the return ride to the bike shop was rather thrilling, and I found myself actually enjoying it. I had learnt to steer reasonably accurately and didn’t have any more collisions. Having said that, I still don’t think the world is quite ready for me on a bike yet.

                Our final Japanese dinner was notable. We decided to go out with style, and visited a local hotel, sitting around a low table in our own booth. I made the mistake of not removing my shoes before entering (at which our serving girl laughed), but enjoyed our assorted meal – various skewered meats and sushi (etc) – with my first ever cup of sake, a drinkable, if potent, beverage.

                Before returning to the apartment we had one final look around a Japanese shopping mall. Alas, I didn’t have any money on me to buy a handbag.

                It’s an early start tomorrow, as we leave for Korea. I’ll draw today to a close here, closing my eyes on Japan for one last time.