japan backpacking

Preparations for Japan begin…

Dave — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:57:15 +0000

It sprung on me a few weeks back that I needed a change, I had £4000 in the bank, as savings. Life savings.

Here’s the gear…

Dave — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 22:55:09 +0000

OK this is what I sold my soul for, I only hope I can do it justice!! The camera is a Panasonic GH1 and it’s hooked up to a Rode stereo mic. I so very nearly got the native pana but thankfully cooler minds prevailed, this one is much better quality. Having said that, I

Nagasaki – The Toilet Post

Dave — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 09:22:18 +0000

Here’s a tip for you, don’t gallivant around a Japanese hotel in the designated ‘toilet’ slippers… I’m in the naughty boys room tonight. You may or may not know, in Japan you take your shoes off at the door like you would at home, and slip on a nice pair of slippers. In the case

Bullet Trains: Am I in the right seat?

Dave — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:41:20 +0000

I eventually find my train, it pulls up 5 minutes early. Good start. I’m walking alongside trying to find what coach I should be in. Coach 1: Smoking, reserved, 1st class. Move on… Coach 2: Non-smoking, reserved, 1st class. Move on… … Coach 8: By this point I think I’ve got about 30 seconds to

Fukuoka > Hiroshima

Dave — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:53:07 +0000

What started as quite a good day turned into a bit of a nightmare, and once again reversed itself into a good evening. Let me explain…. I woke up about 7.00am, bags of energy, which is surprising because I was on the top bunk. - incidentally, I was on the bottom bed but some arsey

Still in Hiroshima… Delayed a little

Dave — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:26:50 +0000

I’m still in Hiroshima, for the second day. This morning woke up nice and early again. I skipped breakfast after getting into a conversation with some travellers here. So impatiently, I scurried out of the hostel in a hurry. Hiroshima has to be the easiest city to navigate, I mean the trams are numbered from

Kyoto: All this culture and so little time to see it

Dave — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:09:45 +0000

I’ve decided I’m having four days in Kyoto. If I was going to have four days anywhere in Japan it would be Kyoto. ————————————————————————————————- So I’m now in Kyoto, but what I want to talk about first isn’t to do with temples or shrines or even zen gardens. It’s about a man I met in

Another day in Kyoto

Dave — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:47:14 +0000

Took a bike for a spin yesterday, brakes were non-existent but it was quite exhilarating! It might be me but it seems thast everyone in Japan is a pro cyclist. They fly down the pavement missing walkers by a hair and seem to move in synchrony with eachother. Its only the foreigners that throw them

Japanese Food

Dave — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 14:29:17 +0000

Food in Japan – From my experience food in Japan is quite expensive, but there are ways to cut down on costs if you’re like me, on a tight budget. I’ve practically been living on 3 things: • McDonalds • Pot Noodles • O-bento I’m guessing you know what the former two are so I’ll

Shirakawago – Showy Snowy

Dave — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:51:09 +0000

Boy is getting a decent internet connection at youth hotels a mission and a half, this post is from a couple of days ago - I visited Shirakawago yesterday, a small village located about one hour’s bus drive away from Takayama. It was a nice day for the most part which was obviously a great

Takayama to Matsumoto ordeal

Dave — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:20:17 +0000

I had to take 3 separate trains from Takayama in order to get to Matsumoto. I had the tickets, the timetable, good to go… I’ll just note that the first two tickets were free with my Japan Rail pass. (They were Japan rail lines). But the 3rd train was on a line that was exempt

Er… 7 11?

Dave — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:54:02 +0000

This morning in Matsumoto I needed some breakfast. I also needed to withdraw some cash so 7 11 it was. I step out of the hostel bleary eyed and squinting in the low hanging sun and pick a random direction. Right it will be. Couple of doors down I see a man in his front

First glimpse of Mt Fuji

Dave — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:04:34 +0000

I was on the bullet train taking pictures of no-name mountains out of my window. About 45 minutes out of Matsumoto. We turn a little in the train; I stretch around to get one last pic of the mountain range before they disappear. In my desperation I get a very mediocre picture with trees obscuring

Automation Nation

Dave — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 01:14:22 +0000

Train stewards with their food trolley – to make an autopilot job even more autopilot they have memorised scripts. The reason I know this is because I’ve been asked (indirectly) if I want sandwiches or o-bento three times now (in that order). Japan seems to have and affinity to logical automation and efficiency. I have

Would this deter you?

Dave — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:12:52 +0000

This sign is on a railway platform. The man is dangling the girls hat onto the line. What do you think the caption says? I’m buggered if I know.

Night out in Tokyo

Dave — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:54:54 +0000

Whilst in Tokyo I rendezvoused with a businessman I met in Hiroshima. He suggested we go for dinner, which I happily accepted, and we met in Shibuya. Shibuya is a district known for being very young oriented, particularly for the fashion conscious. We met at 7 o’ clock outside Shibuya station (next to the famous

Tsukiji – Biggest fish market in the world

Dave — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:02:32 +0000

Tsukiji Fish Market, where tuna routinely sells for over $200,000. Tsukiji fish market is arguably the biggest fish market in the world. I would add, the most disorganised and chaotic fish market in the world. I arrived there about 5 o’ clock after getting lost on the way. The devil on my shoulder said “

Confused Cherry Blossoms

Dave — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 01:02:34 +0000

It’s early February but that doesnt stop some gung ho Cherry Blossoms. These have braved the cold to shed a little beauty into dreary winter. Sightseers make the most of it. This guy was interesting. Perhaps he waiting for full bloom…

Planes…

Dave — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 03:49:03 +0000

I’m fed up with people who have no concern for people sitting behind them… If I feel the erge to lean back I will instinctively have a quick peep behind. If there’s someone there (which there invariably is) I’ll enjoy, no, endure an aching back in an upright position. Flying back from Japan, the man

Thailand!

Dave — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:49:50 +0000

I’m in Thailand for a short time. I wasn’t going to keep a blog while I’m here but something happened to me a couple of days ago that I just can’t explain… I was having a drink with a couple of people I met at the hostel I was staying at. We was sitting outside

The sale of my camera – signifies the real end of my trip and a bank balance not in the red

Dave — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 12:53:37 +0000

One of my favourite pics. This was taken up the appropriately named Monkey Mountain, Arashiyama, Kyoto. I knew taking about 200 photos of these restless blighters was going to be worth it in some form or another. ———————————————————————————————- Ok, I wasn’t going to post anything else for the Japan trip but during the sale of