Somehow we ended up going to bed at 11pm last night, not quite sure how that happened, probably because it was only 3pm at home and so we felt really awake. Thankfully the melatonin kicked in instantly and we both had a proper long sleep.
I managed to drag myself up and out for a run at 7:30 this morning, feeling very stiff and sore, rest doesn’t seem to help weirdly. Then both downstairs for our first buffet breakfast of the trip, which was… not nearly as good as Busan, but not too bad. We were quite late so I ended up having green curry and rice, which actually went down very well, Trix managed to find some pancakes and bacon, of course (we had yoghurt too!).
The rest of the day was, surprisingly, shopping! Very successful outing, but lots of walking. We started with a wander through the Kuromon Market which is just near our hotel, similar to that street market we saw in Kyoto, food everywhere, the smells were insanely good. King crab, raw sea urchin, wagyu beef, prawns, so much. Both sad we didn’t have any room for anything.
Decided that we really didn’t need lunch, but at 1pm needed a sit down and a snack, luckily Osaka really is the kitchen of Japan, you’re never more than a few steps away from something delicious. We sat at a counter and had freshly cooked Tako-yaki (yep, more octopus balls!).
Counter to earlier promises, we split up, it feels so safe here and our sore feet insisted we minimise walking for a bit. Got the tube to skip some of the distance, Trix took our bags back to the hotel and I went off to get myself a nice Japanese cooking knife. We met outside Animate and, properly hungry now, found the closest Ichiran for some perfectly spiced, just the right richness of broth, noodles just-so, ramen. Booths, as we both needed a bit of quiet time!
Very pleased to get back to the hotel early, Trix is in PJs with a hot water bottle, I’m on the sofa wondering where to stick all my new stickers. Early bed promised, Nara and the famously tame deer tomorrow (oh and a temple that was first opened in 752, which has a giant Buddha in it!).
Less restful sleeps last night, my lovely wine pairing with supper spoilt mine, and Trix woke up at 5:30. Needed to be up early anyway as we had a 7:15 breakfast slot, enough time (for me) to have a soak in our onsen first, watching the fog swirl around was very peaceful.
Somehow we were in time to catch an early train, with space for us and our giant suitcases. We felt like we were in a studio Ghibli film as it slowly snaked and zig zagged its way down the edge of this ancient volcano. Occasionally the forest would open and we’d catch sight of the other side of the gorge, rushing water below, tendrils of cloud caught in eddies of wind, then it would close in again, the green tunnel steeper than you’d think a train could cope with.
Easy train change at Hakone-Yumoto, with plenty of time for coffee in Odawara station before our Shinkansen to Osaka.
Having all our tickets and instructions is so helpful, we just need to look in our information pack for where we need to be and by when, then follow the instructions. Makes the whole process a breeze and very low stress.
Mount Fuji briefly appeared between the clouds passed, just as elusive as it’s been for the last few days, we’re hopeful that the weather is kind to us when we return to Tokyo next week.
“I’m hungry” Trix says at 12, her lunchtime internal timer appears to be unaffected by jet lag. I’m still quite full from eating most of both of our breakfasts, including the grilled mackerel that was looking lonely on Trixs side of the table. My western style choice included an octopus salad, not quite my usual yoghurt and granola. The scrambled eggs with wagyu beef stew was a well received interpretation of what people in the UK might eat in the mornings.
We realise that our itinerary has a typo and the train takes 45 minutes longer than we thought. Every time the door to the next carriage opens our eyes snap up, hopeful to see someone with a food trolley. The hotel presented us with some pickled plums as we left, they’re slowly starting to seem a bit more edible.
As the train approaches Nagoya I joke that Trix should make a dash for the nearest vending machine, we both know that’s a ridiculous idea, and anyway the machines we saw earlier only had cold water and hot coffee. When our window passes a very well stocked kiosk, we look at each other, eyebrows raised. “I reckon I can make it”, I’m looking at the departure board hanging over the platform. “No, don’t, it’s too risky, don’t get left behind on some random train station”, Trix sounds panicky, there is a queue forming to get off the train, another to get back on. I can see the cold beer waiting for me.
“I’ve got 6 minutes, look”, I point, and stand up, “loads of time, I’ll just grab whatever I can see, yeah?”, inserting myself into the queue in a very non-Japanese way I make for the door, just making out the sound of Trix groaning behind me.
I’m back in 4, tuna mayo onigiri, crisps, coke and a delicious Suntory premium malt. Sorted, I love Japan.
Arriving in Osaka was a bit of a shock after a weekend in the mountains, but we managed to get ourselves and our cases to the hotel relatively easily (having pre-charged IC cards made a huge difference). While our room was finished being prepared we zipped down the road to B Side Label to stock up on stickers.
Very brief sit down then off to meet our group for a “retro” food tour, whatever that means.
Turns out that we stopped in about 4 different places that served traditional Osaka food, Japanese of course, but with a very local twist. The highlight was octopus balls, or more accurately Takoyaki. Little sort of dumpling things covered in sauce and loveliness, could have just stayed there!
Was great to meet some other people and by the end of the evening we were all chatting away.
Got back to the hotel about 9:30, unpacked (!) and now just reading a bit before lights out.
Flight was fine, just long. We didn’t sleep much, not really surprising I suppose, just a nap really. It landed early which was nice, not too long through immigration and then into the taxi that Trix had been dreading for hours…
I explained through the magic of hand gestures that she can get car sick, and he drove very smoothly and nicely. Phew! Lovely route (once out of the industrial part of Tokyo) along the sea and then a long winding road up through thick green forests to a small town near the top of a mountain.
Found the hotel, dropped our bags and freshened up then headed up the funicular railway to the top of the mountain (via a coffee shop for caffeine and eggs). Slow walk down the mountain through some super pretty mossy green gardens and a museum of pottery. Stopped for a late lunch of (much larger than expected) rice and tempura, then thankfully our room was ready, early!
I got straight into our private onsen, super hot, deep, wide, with an amazing view over tree tops and mountains. You can hear water gushing below the hotel, which is sort of hanging off the side of a mountain. It’s really peaceful.
Early dinner at 5, lots of sashimi and wagyu, then Trix went off to her NYC call and I finished off supper only own.
Sadly the internet is a bit…crap, and she had to bail out of the call. Such a shame after all the preparations and organising, but sometimes life throws a spanner in the works and you just have to roll with it.
We chilled in the bar for a bit, then went for a leg stretch (without Billy, very odd!), had an ice cream, then chilled for a bit before both collapsing into deliciously comfortable beds, the first time we’d laid down since we got out of bed in London, which felt like a week ago. Both asleep almost instantly.
We landed on the 18th of October at 6am (my 49th birthday incidentally), and over the following 12 nights and 13 days….
Stayed in 5 different hotels
Spent 21 hours on trains, travelling over 980 miles (when measured directly, in reality much further)
Walked or ran 214,161 steps (113.4 miles), although Trix didn’t do any of the running!
Sat in taxis for 2.5 hours
Kayaked 3 miles
… it feels like we’ve been away for a month, we’ve packed so much in.
The research, plotting and planning that went into this trip is undoubtably a lot of effort, though we can’t take any credit for it whatsoever. A good friend recommended the Inside Japan travel group, and well, time is money and all that.
This isn’t meant to be a review, more of a recommendation. We had a 30 minute call with Simona and went through what me and Trix did and didn’t want to do (individually), literally a bit of a brain dump. A little bit of back and forth taking into account the sorts of things going on in October, shuffling priorities, and we left it there for her to figure out a proposed itinerary.
Given this call was only 2 weeks before the trip, I was super impressed to get back a detailed document with nearly everything we’d discussed, and some more. “Sounds great!”, we pulled the trigger, waited for our printed instructions in the post, and started packing.
A car was waiting for us when we arrived in Tokyo, as were two packages at our first hotel. One had a box of Kyoto chocolates, the other contained all our train tickets (each trip in a little paper clipped bundle, neatly marked with a sticker of the journey details), charged IC cards (the Japan version of an Oyster card), vouchers for some of the excursions, and a lovely welcome letter.
We quickly settled into a routine of not thinking more than a day ahead, enjoy whatever was planned for today, trusting that everything is not only taken care of, but thoughtfully planned for maximum convenience.
Some days we didn’t have a set plan, we’d asked to be given breaks to follow our noses (or sit in a bar and drink beer), so it never felt like we were rushing between things on a strict timetable.
All the trains were at civilised hours of the day, usually between 10 and 11am, with plenty of time for breakfast and an easy journey to whichever station we needed.
Each destination in our printed pamphlet (which is very well worn now!) had a QR code which gave us a guide to that place. Reading “our perfect day in …” whilst on the train there became a lovely travelling ritual.
So many small details were thought of, and it would have been easy to miss them if we hadn’t done all this (on a smaller scale) ourselves last year.
Like the tip on which train line to get from our hotel in Tokyo to the Avatar cafe, the secret basement level for the taxi pickup, which of our hotels had gyms, which had laundry facilities, and what time breakfast was served. All things we could have found out ourselves, but being able to consult the oracle at any point and find this out was not only a huge time saver, it was a source of comfort and as the trip progressed I trusted it more and more.
I would never have known about “luggage forwarding” otherwise, and even if I had I don’t think I would have risked it. When we arrived at our hotel in Tokyo our cases were wheeled out to us while we were checking in, a seamless service, and one I would absolutely use again.
Usually I fret about the taxi to the airport: Will it be on time? Will it turn up at all? What’s the backup plan? Will the car smell and the driver be half asleep? Not this time, I knew it was all going to be just fine, and it was.
Trix obviously wants to return next year, I’m thinking of somewhere different, but our choice might be swayed by whether we can find a travel planner this well organised, knowledgeable and capable.
I’m probably totally spoilt now, but honestly, I don’t enjoy wading through pages of search results, following myriad threads in an attempt to judge whether a hotel or excursion is good, bad or a scam. Or jumping between the different local rail companies to try and piece together a multi leg journey, with seat reservations (how long do we need to allow for changes? Who knows!). Without all that agitation I was able to relax and enjoy being with Trix, distractions were minimal and we could have a laugh, and focus on on the important things, like what we were going to eat next!
Offloading all the planning was a massive relief and a huge time saver, leaving us to enjoy each moment and the wonderful country.
This trip will stay in our memories for a long time.
Alarms go off at 5:30, wrenching us both out of a deep and restful slumber. We’re all packed so just a quick shower and set off to try and find our taxi, on the mysterious B3 floor, which no lifts have mentioned yet.
I’m trying to get into the car when the driver asks, “your flight is at 10:10am from terminal 2, correct?” Not correct, I must be sleepier than I thought, and on closer inspection his sign is for someone completely different, “Mr & Mrs Latham”, sort of close-ish?
Our car is just behind, a very sleek looking electric BMW with the most polite driver. I didn’t book the taxi, but offer up a silent thank you as we settle back, sip ice cold water and doze the 30 minutes to Haneda.
When I tried to change our seats online the website wouldn’t let me, full flight, and we’re not together. I’ve got an extra legroom seat, but Trix is wedged in the middle between two randoms. She’s still mildly scarred from the teenage boy leaning on her as he slept on the way out and I’d promised that she could have an aisle seat. Remembering Zoes trip back from Hong Kong, 25 years ago, when she was wedged like that, I’m determined to shuffle the plane around, somehow.
“The flight is full, it is very difficult, I will send a message to the plane crew and maybe they can help”, hmm. No upgrades either, it really is totally full. I’m assuming “very difficult” is a polite way of saying “impossible”.
The queue for security is insane, there is a man at the back with a sign declaring “End of the line”, he’s walking backwards as more and more people join it. “Sumimasen, is there another security gate?” Worth asking. He nods vigorously, “hai hai, over there” smiling and pointing in the opposite direction.
Zero queue, grinning at each other we waltz through and head towards the lounge. It seems that premium economy on Japan Airlines has more perks than you get on BA, no complaints from us. We find a tranquil table and load up on beef curry and rice, we’re still in Japan after all!
The queue for coffee is really long, that’s the excuse I use for having a glass of champagne, “it’s only 9pm in London!”, then I notice another machine, oh well!
From getting out of the taxi to sitting in the lounge took 25 minutes, I think that’s a new personal best.
Time to board and we go and have a word with the staff, I have a trump card to play and I really hope it works.
“I have a medical condition, and I need to be next to my 14 year old daughter”, I can hear some of that being repeated amongst a load of words I don’t understand, a few times. “It is very difficult, the flight is full”, I’m not budging, “Can you move some people around? This is very important”. We wait.
The only other time I’ve used that line was at Glastonbury, we were in a one in / one out area with no toilets, the queue to get back in was huge. I felt bad for asking the security guard if I could use the staff area, but, nothing I said wasn’t true, even if I didn’t strictly need to drink all those pints of cider…
Eventually we’re called back to the desk and yes, they’ve put us together, phew. Some of the pre-flight tension eases and we find our seats and faff around making ourselves comfortable (which includes putting on the provided slippers, a nice touch).
Trix is very happy with the setup, lots of compartments, bluetooth connection for her headphones. She wraps herself up in a blanket and settles back with one of her new manga books. Only 14 hours to go…
Both had one of those too hot / too cold sleeps, but we’re in good spirits as we head down for an early breakfast. Just as well, by the time we leave the queue is gigantic.
We don’t need to leave until 10 so I get a bodyweight workout in, it’s pretty horrible but the view over the city is a nice distraction.
After a bit of confusion around trains, tubes, stations (so many of all of them, and then do you want the local? Rapid? Rapid express?) we get to the Dawn Avatar Cafe in Kanda (not Canada, which is how we both read it).
It’s a really lovely idea, sort of an experiment which seems to be gaining traction. There are physical humans there, but also robots remotely controlled by people with some sort of disability which means they can’t leave their home.
Our table robot is controlled by a lovely girl who had a heart attack two years ago and now can’t move around much. We chat about our trip and order food and drinks. These are served by another girl controlled robot and we pose for photos.
The idea is that there are jobs that can be done remotely that don’t fall into the standard office worker mould, and as robotic technology improves the types of job could expand.
Occasionally her English isn’t expansive enough and she falls back to a live translation that shows up on the iPad at the end of the table, so even language isn’t really a barrier here.
We stay about an hour and leave with a pleasant warm feeling, apart from anything else we had a really nice interaction with our waitress, a total stranger who is house bound.
They’re opening one in Denmark, we hope it catches on, surely it must alleviate loneliness as well as endowing purpose.
Feeling like we aught to make the most of our last afternoon here, but also flagging a bit from doing so much over the last couple of weeks, we head to a laid back district (Shimokitazawa) and duck into a cafe to read our books and relax for a while.
Trix is running low on reading material, and we’re still having no joy finding translated manga, but finally do! It’s not Spy Family but is on her list. We also find a book that sounds perfect for the 7-Eleven addict in the family (honestly she can spot one from about half a mile away), she declines to buy it though.
“Oh look, a shop for puppies”, we finally get Billy some presents, it takes a while to select a toy that he won’t disembowel within minutes.
If you ever need a patterned 80s woolly jumper, or brown trousers, this is the place to head to. It’s fun nosing around the vintage shops, until we get thirsty and happen across a cafe/bar with a spare sofa, the perfect recharging station.
I could have stayed there drinking Brooklyn lager reading my book for the rest of the day, but we’ve got a planned stop at “Happy happy kiddie land” or something similarly nightmarish. We also need to pack before supper. Reluctantly (for me) we’re back on a train heading to Shinjuku, thankfully only 10 minutes away.
I bail out and leave Trix to it, heading back to the hotel to watch the sunset and Mount Fuji instead.
It’s our last night and we’re surrounded by restaurants and bars, but with a 14 and 1/2 hour flight tomorrow, we play it safe and go for katsu curry, this time I remember not to choose a scary spice level!
Both quite restrained at breakfast, we’d leapt out of bed before 7 to beat the rush (and still had to queue a bit). I decided to treat myself to some baguette with butter and chocolate spread with my coffee, I’ll be living on dust and air when I get home to offset all this indulgence. Right now I’m just enjoying it and ignoring my waistline.
It only rains for half of the 20 minute walk to the station, we’ve got plenty of time so take shelter in the fish market for a bit. As tempting as it is to get a bag of sashimi for the journey, we press on and look for less smelly fare in the massive shopping area before we go through the barrier to the Shinkansen.
We love how organised the station and platforms are, none of the usual UK experience: “The train might be here, potentially when the timetable says it will be, and maybe on this platform, but seat reservations? Who knows! How could anyone know?! We might even just remove them all at the last minute, have a great journey!”
I knew we’d be travelling through the Japanese alps today, but didn’t think we’d actually get to see any of them. Passing through Itoigawa we could see distant snowy peaks on one side, and a choppy misty sea on the other, like Craighouse on the Isle of Jura, but more.
Suddenly I can smell food, glancing at my watch I see that it is indeed lunchtime, a shade after 12. One old guy just has a tray of thin pale sausages, they smell pretty good.
I gambled that there would be a trolley service so I wouldn’t need to drink warm beer, it’s practically required to have a couple on the train. £1.67 for a deliciously cold Sapporo, happy happy.
I’m not sure if my crisps are crab or beaver flavour (or both), Trix says they smell like cat food. She’s not totally wrong (but they taste great).
The 3 hours pass in a warm and pleasant haze, rain and clouds replaced by a bright blue sky.
Suddenly we’re in the swirling ordered chaos of Tokyo JR station, “blimey, I feel like a country bumpkin!”, Trix just laughs at me and steers the way to the Chujo line, the other end of which our hotel (and hopefully a ready room) awaits.
After the quiet low rise city of Kanazawa (our room was on the top floor of one of the tall buildings, floor 6), Shinjuku is just … bonkers. Lights, skyscrapers, music, people … people everywhere. We find the hotel and just looking up at the building makes us dizzy. The reception is on the 18th floor, our room is near the top, the 37th.
Floor to ceiling windows with a view all the way to the mountains beyond the basin where Tokyo nestles. We’re both a bit overwhelmed, and have a little sit down before venturing back out into the mayhem to find somewhere to sit and have a drink before today’s main event.
Sumo! Not an actual match as it’s the wrong time of year, more of a family friendly exhibition sort of thing.
Before that we have a little snack and pick up some cats in shark costumes, as requested by Zoe (for friends kids, because…how could you not?)
We start off with a mini sumo wrestler meal (in reality they have two meals a day, but each one is 5,000 calories!), then after a funny warm up from the MC (and a geisha dance) we meet the opponents.
Both are retired, but only in the last year, and are late 20s to early 30s, probably a normal age for a sportsperson? Asanokuma looks exactly what you’d expect: big, fat and strong. He’s 160kg, but says he put on 40kg after retiring, very unusual! The other chap, Asanobori, is a mere 120kg, and it’s clear from all the extra skin flapping around that he’s lost what the other guy gained. There are no weight classes in Sumo, so being heavier is usually an advantage (unless you’re very quick and nimble).
The whole thing is very funny, helped along with plenty of beers (and ginger ales) and a lot of cheering and shouting. We’re talked through demonstrations of a few moves (both allowed and illegal), with the wrestlers playing up to the crowd, being silly and shit talking each other, WWF style.
Then 3 matches, over quickly but you really get an idea of how hard it is to stay on your feet, and to stay inside the tiny ring. They’re both sweating with the effort, which makes Trix even more horrified as their glistening bare buttocks are slapped repeatedly.
Both feeling happily weary we navigate our way back to the hotel on the underground, grateful that (apart from breakfast) we don’t have anything planned until 11am tomorrow.
Accidentally turned my alarm off and we didn’t wake up till 7:20, oops! Must have needed the rest, but we’re worried that there will be a huge queue for breakfast, they were very specific about it when we checked in.
Short wait and, wow, the most extensive buffet we’ve been presented with yet, might even top the Grand Josun hotel in Busan! The cake station gives me sugar shakes just looking at it.
“This trip is essentially a food tour, isn’t it?” I look over the table at Trix, “yes of course, what else would it be?”
Sounds like a good reason to try everything then!
Epic breakfast, need to sit down for a while before venturing out for a run (and to wait for the rain to ease off a bit, half hoping it doesn’t and I can legitimately get back into bed and read, which is precisely what Trix has planned for this morning).
After much procrastination, and a break in the weather, I find the route along a river that’ll take me all the way to the beach. No roads to cross, hardly any people, sun warming my back, I settle into a nice pace and think about everything and nothing.
Standing on the beach looking out over the Japan sea I realise that the next stop is North Korea, 520 miles away. It sounds far until you remember that they have nuclear weapons and that’s about the same distance as London to Zermatt.
Heading back I notice a swirl of shadows above me, yesterday we saw a sign saying “beware of the kites”, hopefully I don’t look hopeless enough for these birds of prey to keep such a close eye on me.
Back at the hotel Trix assures me that she’s done some sketching and washed her hair, and absolutely has not been dozing in bed the whole time. I believe her, we’re both ready for some lunch, but I could so easily curl up for a little snooze too.
Handily the main fish market is about 3 minutes walk away, we do a circuit with a couple of stops for fried chicken and beer, seafood dumplings, and a pork bao bun.
Neither of are in the mood for fish intestines or sea urchin, so we select some salmon and tuna maki rolls and a spider crab (and a beer), then find a spot to stand at a plywood board lined with people eating all sorts of things.
I read that Kanazawa has the best sushi in Japan, and eating raw fish in the local fish market is a pretty special experience.
We can hear the rain easing off and slowly walk through the active geisha district to the gold leaf museum, it’s not all about food after all.
We learn that it’s made from an alloy of gold, silver and copper, and is beaten to 1/1000 of a millimetre. Also it’s edible because it doesn’t break down in your body, chemically stable to be precise. So maybe it is really all about food.
It’s tea and cake time, but we settle for ice cream and matcha jelly, decorated with gold leaf.
As we wander off in search of a bar to sit and relax for a bit (this girl has been trained well), Trix looks sideways at me, “hold on, if gold doesn’t break down in your body, then that means you have sparkly poo?”, laughing I say “yeah, I figured I wouldn’t tell you that as we were eating it!”
The bar is perfect for a bit of a break, big enough that we can sit and read our books without feeling awkward, the fact they have their own brewery and serve up sample trays is obviously a happy bonus for one of us.
We could so easily have gone back to the hotel for a snooze, but! It’s only 4:40pm, so we find the (preserved) Samurai district, which is really quite atmospheric as the sun goes down, the streets empty out, and we’re transported hundreds of years back in time (or to an episode of Demon Slayer, depending on your perspective!)
It is absolutely time for supper now, so we find the nearest ramen place. After a brief scuffle with the push button, 1000 yen notes only, ordering machine, we finally present our tickets to the man behind the counter and settle down to wait for delicious things to be cooked.
We’ve been walking everywhere here as it’s really quite a small city, but half a mile from the hotel it starts raining again and we realise we left our umbrellas behind. Nothing for it but to duck into the nearest 7-Eleven for some bedtime treats and wait for the rain to stop.
Happy to be back in the room before 7pm, some quiet time before a day of travelling tomorrow.
Ended up being a bit of a late night, so both a bit sluggish this morning, no running today. Trix is sad to leave her window.
I had a full English breakfast, Japanese style, because … why not, it’s a holiday! Roast beef, sausages, very wet scrambled eggs, cloud bread and fatty bacon.
We had 3 trains to get today, and had a little pile of tickets each, mostly understandable, but it wasn’t totally clear how to navigate the turnstiles. I asked the station chap he said “stack them, all together, ok!”, ok… let’s see, we were both pretty sceptical. Turns out the machine separates them, processes each one individually, and stamps, marks, or keeps them depending on where you are and how far through the journey you’ve come. Impressed, we set off to find provisions.
First leg of the journey was a bullet train to Kyoto, we settled in and I asked Trix what the best thing about Hiroshima was, “Shin! He was great!”. He was. In the context of a thing or place, “shin” means new (like Shinkansen – new trail line), for a name it can be made of up different kanji characters, I can’t remember which ones he said his was, but some of these and they all fit: humility, heart, belief, true. He was given the name by his parents and grandparents because of how they felt after the bomb, at first he felt he had a heavy responsibility, but he grew into it, and is one of the most positive people I’ve met.
The train alternates between tunnel and daylight, it’s relaxing and mesmerising. The tunnels are quiet and dark, then popping into daylight, smoothly gliding through a valley, over villages, temples, rivers, pointy tree covered hills on all sides, then plunging back through the next mountain. If I hadn’t had 3 coffees I’d be dozing in my comfortable reclining seat.
We look at the map of Kanazawa, our destination for today, there are beaches, and we wonder whether to just take a walk along one of them for a change of scene. We looked at each other simultaneously, “a beach walk without puppies?”
It does seem wrong, “we’re definitely not obsessing about our dog” Trix laughs.
We change at Kyoto for the Thunderbird Express 21, I’m excited, “do you you think it’ll be as cool as it sounds?”, she just raises an eyebrow, “I’m pretty sure you’re going to be disappointed, it’s just a standard JR train”.
I thought it had a certain something, sort of like an insect, Trix said “it looks pretty goofy”, which I thought was a bit mean.
Time for lunch, and it’s only as I’m opening my yakitori bento box that I realise this is unlikely to be the sort of yakitori I would usually order… hmmmm. Just as well I like chicken skin, and …. cartilage. There are some other bits that I don’t recognise, but “ah well at least it’s just chicken eh?”. Luckily I’ve got a beer, and everything goes well with beer.
I don’t know why we even thought about a beach, it’s a grey drizzly sort of a day. The clouds seem to have got tangled up in the hills, very green alongside the edge of a huge lake. Puffy green bamboo forests, wooden houses, rice fields.
Trundling along gently, making each other laugh by being silly, the packet of “finger wiper” that came with my lunch has Trix in stitches. Feels like the camper van trip: we’ve gone slightly deranged, in a good way.
It’s only lightly raining as we walk to the hotel, but by the time we leave it’s properly pouring. We do a lap of the castle, narrowly miss a giant hornet being chased by a worried looking groundskeeper with a big net on a stick. Trix is apprehensive about heading further into the forest, “I’m sure he caught it, I saw him stamping on something just now”, though it almost certainly went a different way (I keep that to myself).
Wandering around the Katamachi area looking for food, but it’s weirdly quiet then we realise it’s Sunday evening, oops. Trix spots a place down a side street, “oh that place, nice looking things on skewers?” Yes. We sit at the counter, just the job.
Wasn’t quite enough though, and we spot a barbecue place on the way back to the hotel, “cheeky grilled beef and rice?”, obviously.
As per our standard routine, we find a 7-Eleven and meander back to the room, time for hotel pyjamas and a bit of a chill before an early night, all that sitting around is weirdly tiring.
Got myself up and out before 7 this morning, and using the magic of the Strava heat map feature found a runnable trail up and over a nearby hill. Unexpectedly there was the remains of a WW2 anti aircraft battlment nestled on the ridge, then further along a peace pagoda containing ashes from the Buddha. This pretty much set the scene for the rest of the day; horrible memories contrasting with feelings of hope and forgiveness.
We were both looking forward to the hotel breakfast, the one in Osaka was fine, but basic. Trix was rather taken by a cheese and bacon bread roll / cake, whilst I was very happy with my western and Japanese mix. Can’t turn down octopus for breakfast!
The robot tray shelves moving around the restaurant had cat faces, which made happy noises and stopped when you tapped them on the nose, very endearing and must make it easier for the staff to clear tables – everyone was willingly loading them up with dirty plates.
Bit overcast and neither of us was particularly in the mood for museums or temples, so we had a slow meander trying to find volume 14 of Spy Family in English, a sort of treasure hunt through the cities bookshops. The last one we tried was almost a winner, volume 13! But no more, luckily it was time for a little bit of lunch, and what luck, an okonomiyaki restaurant just where we needed it!
“Savoury pancake” is the translation, but really it’s a pile of omelette, meat, cabbage and beansprouts layered and cooked on a hot plate. With an optional (essential) topping of local oysters. Super tasty but not all that nice to look at, so I’l spare you the photo.
The rain started just before our cycle tour did, but despite knowing the forecast and being told to bring waterproofs, we just rolled our eyes, shrugged at each other, “we’re from England, this is standard, it’s fine”.
Our little eBikes were just the job for weaving through pedestrians as we did a circuit of the central part of the city, with Shin stopping us every now and then to explain why the fairly innocuous thing in front of us was actually genuinely interesting.
This tree for example, it was in the blast zone, you can see the scorched trunk. There are 159 of these, and most of them lean in towards the hypocenter (the point on the earths surface directly below the actual explosion, which was about 600 meters up), because the damaged side grows more slowly than the relatively unscathed side.
“This tree is a bomb survivor, and it has a special plaque, look!” Shin was very chatty and bubbly, you almost forgot that his mother was an in utero survivor, but died of lymphoma when she was 61.
Shin did a little poll after a while, “How are you all feeling? What’s your emotion?”
Unanimously we said “sad”. Hard not to be, and he expected that, then showed us lots more hopeful things, like the flame that will burn until all nuclear weapons have been destroyed, and facts like Japan hasn’t been in another war since WW2, and that the more friends you make around the world, the less likely you will want to drop a bomb on that country.
The rain had stopped by the time the tour ended, and it was way past our supper time. Time to get a tram, another bomb survivor (they had parts of the network up and running 3 days afterwards, driven by 14 year old girls).
We wanted yakiniku (barbecue) but both of our stomachs protested loudly when they heard how long the queue was. Udon it was, great bowls of hot broth warmed and sedated us nicely.
We’re heading to Kanazawa tomorrow, it’s going to be a bit of effort with 3 different trains (and a short bus ride), so we’ve taken some expert advice and … had most of our luggage sent on to Tokyo, where we’ll meet it in a few days. Just feels so wrong, but it’s so normal, and so easy. Just popped downstairs to the front desk, quick chat, a phone call, bit of form faffing (them not me), and all sorted. £30 seems pretty reasonable, well it won’t if it doesn’t turn up, fingers crossed!
jura runner 