Thinking about the trip

Back home in Wellington and it doesn't take long to feel like everything is back to normal. Perhaps the unique climate we are blessed with here is all it takes to remind us that we're home. The weather here is "shocking" the driving wind has been combined with pouring rain during the last couple of days. I guess it's nice to be home?

I've been thinking about the Japan trip and what lasting impressions it will have on me. Making some version of a Japanese garden is an appealing prospect. Four of the five packets of seeds I purchased at the garden shop in Minoh were confiscated at New Zealand customs. So I won't be growing many of those salad greens and giant radishes. I think I can possibly purchase some replacements here in local shops. The garden I'm more keen on developing is one of those raked pebble and carefully placed rock jobs anyway. They have that easy-care appearance the appeals greatly to the lazy gardener in me.

The other things I particularly enjoyed seeing in Japan were the small streets. I liked how there were no bumps and gutters to trip up the cyclists and pedestrians. Metal gratings covered the drains which meant you could bike safely along in the path of oncoming vehicles even though the roads were really narrow. There were a wide range of styles of roading materials used. I particularly liked the large cobbles, sort of a crazy paving thing going on.

Public transport was another neat thing about Japan the Bullet train was a highlight but even the normal commuter trains were easy to use, clean and reasonably priced. The absence of graffiti and litter was neat and I never saw any intimidating or dangerous looking people. I think that was true for all the places we visited in Japan or maybe I am just a naive traveler who wouldn't recognise danger if I saw it.

Home Now

The Japan trip is over, all those who left Wellington have safely returned. Tuesday morning in Tokyo was spent visiting one more shrine and the accompanying street of souvenir shops.

Shortly after lunch we headed for the Tokyo station and the Narita express. The train journey out to Narita airport took around an hour and reinforced the scale of this huge city. We passed by building after building, house after house on the way to the airport. It would have been the same in what ever direction we had chosen to travel apart from where we would hit the coast.

Our flight was uneventful with the exception of the "Wellington landing" an experience that would release a burst of adrenaline in the most experienced of roller coaster riders.

Last Day

It's Tuesday morning on the last day in Japan. Yesterday we were at Tokyo Disneyland. Most of the students loved it, and I confess, I wasn't so hot on it myself. There is something about a day in an artificial and crowded environment with piped music to every location and over-priced "themed merchandise" in every corner. The food outlets were tragic compared to the range of exquisite foods we had enjoyed during the rest of the trip and the queues were enormous. On the positive side the place was clean.

Tokyo

We have now left Minoh, our host families and are in Tokyo. The weather has changed remarkably since we arrived. with steady rain and 25 degrees rather than sunny and 35.
Walking down the street was a sea of umbrellas multi-coloured plastic jellyfish. These had appeared as the rain got heavier but when the rain stopped the umbrellas stayed open. It seemed to me that the personal space created by each umbrella gave it's holder just a little more room on these crowded streets.

Tokyo is huge and we have spent most of our time this afternoon in the electronics district and then in an area full of clothing and fashion shops. All the people who said they would not spend another cent have now spent a great many more yen.
The actor used to promote "Boss" an iced coffee available at lots of the vending machine reminds me of the Bill Murray part in the film "lost in translation". Perhaps there are further opportunities for wrinkled and aging white males in this part of the world? I wonder where do I send my portfolio?

Return from Hiroshima

Friday night and we're safely back in Minoh with our respective and respected host families. We have been so well looked after it is overwhelming. Our journey to Hiroshima was great fun with a wide range of transport methods used to get us there and back. These included:

• The Bus these can get quite crowded and you get on through the back door


• The Train, This view was shot through one of the hand hold rings.
  
  
  
  


• The Bullet train or Shinkasen which looks like some kind of snakelike fish from the front, and also the rear. It travels like a smooth, fast horozontal rocket through the country.
  
  


• Inside the Bullet train it is roomy and comfortable.
  
  
  
  


• We have all become vending machine junkies during the trip both to maintain a health hydration level with the high temperatures but also to decrease the coinage that seems to accumulate. This shot was taken in the shiny surface of a freshly cleaned vending machine.
  


• Speaking of vending machines, the range of drinks is impressive and interesting the one that has taken me the most courage to try is the "Pokari Sweat" visions of wild bear like animal living in the bamboo forest sweating profusely in the "Indian Summer" heat. The precious liquid is then harvested deodorised and bottled to become the vending machine staple. Not a bad drop.
  
  
  

• Of course there was some solemn business to attend to in Hiroshima. Since leaving Auckland our group had been folding paper cranes in order to have an offering of 1000 neatly strung to accompany our prayer for world peace. We felt a little like beauty pageant contestants but we did our bit.


• The banks of the Hiroshima river were littered with dead fish on the day we visited and this crow was making the most of the situation. I made a mental note to avoid fish if it was on the menu that night.
  
  
  Have you ever wondered what a Traditional Japanese bride wears on her feet for her wedding ceremony. Well wonder no more as we reveal the golden platform jandal worn with white socks. Should ba a big hit in the comming southern hemisphere summer.

Good night from me.

Hiroshima

Thursday and we've made it to Hiroshima. The management at the Youth hostel should be about ready to tell our group to stop the noise. Today had us at Himeiji castle, two trips on the Shinkansen (Rail Star - Hikari) The second one in the "Silence Car" . Then to the Peace Museum for some shock treatment. The kids then unwound by harassing the homeless.

Photos to come.....

The Last Wednesday In Osaka

Time is going quickly it is already the last Wednesday of the Japan trip. This time next week we will be home in New Zealand. We have not been idle however some of things we have done today include:












We have discovered the answer to the marking of attendance at schools. You simply have all students remove their shoes when they arrive, the gaps in the shoe locker will quickly show students who have not arrived. These shoes belong to the students at the first Minoh Junior High school where we were guests this afternoon.



Returning from the Junior high school we passed by the local KFC outlet. The Colonel's secret recipe includes a generous dose of seaweed flakes in Japan!

There are many variations of the public clock around the world but have you one with a digital fountain display?

They may not be as big as the Kiwi kids but they are obviously strong as one of students discovered in an arm wrestle.








You never know who you will bump into on an overseas trip this young softball expert travelled all the way from Lower Hutt to play Minoh High School Softball club. They seemed pretty happy with themselves at the end of the game. I guess they won.

Last but not least there was that wonderful time of the day when you get to open your Obento and saviour the culinary delights within.
Tomorrow it's off to Hiroshima for what will probably be quite a different sort of a day. Good Night From Me