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JuergenS

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Trips:

Two month of Japan

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Cultural: Bath houses and onsen

Tokyo, Japan


Funaoka-onsen entrance

As Japanese houses are, mostly, pretty small and apartments or rooms for singles even more so (don't get me started on students..), many Japanese don't have their own bath (e.g. shared bathroom with a shower in a guest house or the like). To compensate for this, and provide a means of getting some relaxation in a tub filled with hot water, sentos (bath houses) can be found pretty much in every neighborhood. You pay your fee there and can stay as long as you like.
The procedure is as follows_

You start by taking off all your cloth in the locker area and enter the bathing area only with a small towel and your hygiene products. In there you usually find a wall lined with small plastic seats, mirrors and showers. Head for those. Here you get yourself clean, and I mean really clean. You can do more than just scrubbing yourself semi-raw by the way, I say guys shaving and brushing their teeth, so as long as you get clean, pretty much everything is fine. Use your small towel as a washcloth.

When all the bubbles were washed away, you are ready to enter the baths themselves. Depending on the size of the sento there may be different dimensions, temperatures, tub materials and water properties to choose from. Kusuri (herbal/medical) and electric (yes, with an electric current running through the water) baths may be available as well. You can start at one and try them all, as long as you don't pass out from the heat.
In cases where the water comes from a hot spring, its called an onsen. There are public ones to use just like your regular sento, others however are included in ryokans, traditional lodging houses.

The onsen I recently entered was part of the Turtle Inn and indoors. Outdoor baths (called rotenburo) made of stone or wood are the more popular alternative however, especially in winter. Those are nice, really.

While most bath are separated by gender, there are some onsen offering co-ed bathing. Whether you want that or not, your choice.

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 24, 2010 from Tokyo, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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Azabu Juban Festival

Tokyo, Japan


Azabu Juban Festival

The Azabu Juban Festival was going on in Azabu Juban this weekend, a giant culinary market with lots of foodstuff to try and an international corner as well! Of course I had to take a look/taste.

The first thing I couldn't help to notice were the pure masses of people drifting through the stall-lined streets, navigating here was going to be a pain:


Azabu Juban Festival

Azabu Juban Festival

Azabu Juban Festival

Azabu Juban Festival

Letting the crowd take me where it would I wandered the area for a while, taking a taste here and there, stopping for a sake seller with samples and a breather.

The food ranged from local specialties of all over Japan to the usual Matsuri fare.


Crepes

Takoyaki

I have no idea what they are selling

Matsuri food


Namahage
Also present were two Nagahame, mystical creatures often impersonated to scare children into obedience if they don't behave at home.
Screaming and crying are pretty much an expected part of this with kids around, with their parents offering a safe haven for then and gaining proper behavior that way. They were more of photo models here though.

The shrine of the area had something going on as well, was too crowded for me to get there though, but the music drifted over.


Azabu Juban Shrine

Azabu Juban Festival

Being a practical people, the locals took this opportunity to sell some of their stuff as well, a flea-market of sorts formed in the side-streets.

Azabu Juban sees a lot of foreigners with many embassies from all over the world being located there, and so is the Austrian one. Went there to take a look, who knows if I need it someday if loose my passport or something. The operating hours immediately reminded me of home.


Embassy of the Republic of Austria

Feels like home *lol*

Stuffed and packed with potential souvenirs, I left the crowds behind and went home, to prepare for my girlfriend to arrive. She will probably hijack this blog some times, so be prepared for that.

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 21, 2010 from Tokyo, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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Yokohama

Yokohama, Japan


Chinatown

Just a quick note: Finally got to visit Yokohama today. It is just a half-hour jump from where I live, which by region is actually part of Yokohama, not Tokyo.
The city sports the biggest Chinatown of Japan and this was the first point on my agenda. There are ten colorful gates serving as entrances and the flair of China that is probably the same all over the world. Of course lots of red and blue and many many eateries, from small stalls selling steamed dumplings to high-class restaurants. Ate at a place that was recommended by my Lonely Planet and way more classy on the inside than it appeared to be on the outside, with separate greeting lobby, classical music, huge carvings and all. The food was great, the impact on my wallet too.
Pictures:


Chinatown gate

Chinatown

Chinatown gate

Chinatown gate

Chinatown

Chinatown

After some shopping I continued to the bay area and the artificial islands that were constructed there:


Yokohama bay

Yokohama bay

Yokohama Small Sight?

Spirit of Water

Yokohama bay

Yokohama bay

Walked along the harbor and came by this amusement park:


Park attraction

Ferris wheel

Didn't really interest me, had some customers though.

After a while I reached the Landmark Tower, the highest building in Japan and its surroundings. Lots of shops there of course, some performer showing off his skills and a cluster of fast food restaurants.
Pictures:


Landmark Tower

Landmark Tower

In front of the Landmark Tower

Square deco

Square deco

Didn't do much more that day, went home after I got my Yokohama-HRC-shirt.

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 20, 2010 from Yokohama, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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Preview: Yokohama and end of solo traveling

Tokyo, Japan


Planning

Tomorrow I will visit Yokohama for its Chinatown and Landmark Tower. Also it would be kinda weird to live in Yokohama for a month and never get to its center, no?

Also, starting next Monday I won't be traveling alone anymore, as my girlfriend will finally join me for the last two weeks of this journey. One week in Tokyo, the other in Kyoto and heading back home from Narita, that about sums it up. We will do some things I already wrote about (I will dump some pictures of those, if we take interesting ones) as well as visit places I do not know yet. I will try to keep you updated.

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 19, 2010 from Tokyo, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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Climbing Fuji-san

Mount Fuji, Japan


Me at 8th station

Finally took the time to climb Mt. Fuji, or Fuji-san, (3776m) this week and went for an overnight hike (start in the evening, be at the top at sunrise, descent before lunch). The mountain is divided into 10 stations and road leads up to the 5th one at 2300m, which is the starting point for the usual climbing route.
I took a Highway Bus from Shinjuku in the late afternoon and reached the 5th station of Fuji-san a while after nightfall. Due to the difference in altitude, one is advised to spend about 30mins at this station to get used to it. Altitude sickness is nothing to take lightly after all.


Souvenir shops

Of course there are some souvenir shops here, this station gets the most traffic after all. The wooden sticks you see in front of the shop are worth buying for two reasons: First, having a hiking stick when climbing a mountain doesn't hurt, and second, on every station you will find a guy with a kind of barbecue that will burn the stamp of the station into your stick as proof that you reached there (for 200yen, of course). Makes a nice souvenir.

The wait was also useful to get a look at the area, as I had no idea where to go. After a while I saw a departing group with a leader that looked what she was doing, so I followed them to the next station. Turns out you have to go slightly down from the bus terminal for 20mins before actually starting the climb. From there on it's harder to loose the path than to follow it, so I was alright by myself.
It takes about 4,5 to 5 hours to reach the top from any of the 5th stations, but this can of course vary greatly. When I reached the top a girl phoned pretty much everyone she knew (judging from the length she took) to tell them that she just broke the world record and climbed the mountain in 2,5 hours. I took the usual time.
Did some pictures of the climb, but with it being the middle of the night and all I didn't really get good ones.


Sign

Sign, nearly down

Blurry flights

Going up

There was still a lot of time left till sunrise (at about 5:00 on that day) so I took a look around and rested a bit. Even though it's summer, up there temperatures at night are still near the freezing point. Wasn't pleasant, built a insulated blanked from a thin silk sleeping bag I carried and a foil thermal blanket I carried in my first-aid back (yeah, I took one, paramedic and all...). As time went on more and more people reached the top and searched for the best viewing spot, I could see the lines of little lights as guided groups made their way up in the dark. The wait was definitely worth it, for the sunrise was stunningly beautiful.
Pictures:


Sunrise in the making

Sunrise in the making

Sunrise in the making

Sunrise in the making


First glimpse at unexpected spot


Sunrise

Sunrise

Sunrise

Sunrise

Sunrise

Nearly done


Sunrise done

After getting the stamp of the summit and deciding against circling the crater I started my descend. Took less time, was way more crowded and put a lot of strain on my knees, but what goes up must come down. Was glad for the water and food I brought, the prices at the stations are extremely high and you need LOTS of water to do this.
Pictures:


Summit

Flag of Japan

Gazing down

Crowds...

Summit station

Crater

Crater

Going down

Shrine

Viewing up

Beyond the clouds

Beyond the clouds

Bento break

Still that far to go?

Entering the clouds

Construction/repair in progress

Offering rides?

Goal in sight

Souvenir area in daylight

Tired warriors

Did some souvenir shopping back at the 5th station and took the bus home, arrived at Tama Plaza in the afternoon and went to bed early.

All in all an arduous but definitely worthwhile activity, made some good memories and I now have the hiking stick to prove it *g*.
And as the Japanese saying goes: "Everyone is wise to climb Fuji-san once, but a fool to do it twice".

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 18, 2010 from Mount Fuji, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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Culinary: Special meals and sets

Tokyo, Japan


Sukiyaki - Overview

Another culinary post, this time about set-meals and some of the more expensive dishes I enjoyed.
I will give you an description and some pictures, so lets get this started:

Oil-Yaki


Oil-Yaki

A DIY-meal where you are served pieces of meat and different vegetables and cook them up in an oiled pan (hence the name). Oil-Yaki goes side by side with Sukiyaki and Shabu Shabu and is pretty much as pricey as them.
The place I went served multiple courses and the first piece of meat was done by a waitress donned in a kimono to show how it's done. Three qualities of meat can be chosen, I went for the one in the middle. Needless to say that it was extremely delicious.

Sweets after lunch

Hors'dourves

Overview

With sides

Fruits after lunch

Oil-Yaki sign and price

By the way, one can save some money by going to expensive restaurants for lunch and not for dinner, there are lunch-specials and discounts pretty much everywhere.

============

Sukiyaki (Ryokan/Inn dinner)


Sukiyaki - Closeup

Got this at the Turtle Inn in Nikko for dinner, another must-try. Sukiyaki is a pot-dish that cooks up nicely in front of you. This one had lots of veggies at the bottom of the pan and thinly sliced meat on top. You turn the meat once, tip every bite in raw egg (or, if you don't like that part, cook it up in the pan to cover the whole thing) and dig in.
This actually was only a part of the whole meal, there was also fish and some sides.

Sukiyaki - Sides

Ryokan/Inn - Fish

What's left...

Sweets after dinner

============

Steak/cutlet set
Not really a steak but they called it a Steak Set nevertheless. Not much to say about this one except that the restaurant I ate back then had an interesting mix of Italian, French and Japanese atmosphere.


Steak-set sides

Steak set

============

Tonkatsu set


Tonkatsu-set

I am pretty sure I already wrote about these, but the set with Miso soup, cabbage and rice and free refills was really nice.

============

Ramen and Gyoza


Ramen set

These two go together as a classic set and most Ramen-shops serve them both. You enjoy your Ramen and nibble on the Gyoza on the side.

============

Gyoza and Ramen


Gyoza and ramen set

In Utsunomiya and Gora things are a bit different, as the Gyoza are the main part and the set I had made the Ramen a side-dish. These areas are specialized in Gyoza and offer a wide variety.

============

Yakiniku


Yakiniku - Gettin' fired up

Similar to Oil-Yaki but still different. Here you order your meat by plate and grill them at your table over flame. The grill is a griddle over an either gas or charcoal fueled flame. There are all kinds of beef and toppings, I had two types one of which had garlic on it. Originally a Korean dish, it is often accompanied by Kimichi.
Also I tried their high-grade beef nigiri. Again, not cheap but incredibly good.

The grill

Dipping sauce (not the beer)

Basic yakiniku

Garlic roast

Beef nigiri


Kimichi

That's if for today, hope you didn't get to hungry reading *g*

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 16, 2010 from Tokyo, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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Comiket: Day 2

Tokyo, Japan


Sneak-peek

After sleeping in I was off to get some more Comiket-experience today and I sneaked some pictures out this time. Being able to use the "ignorant foreigner" once in a while is actually quite handy, especially in an area with next to none English explanations. So, w/o further ado, here are some pictures of the inside:

Sneak-peek

Sneak-peek


Ero-boards

Room to move!

The last one was taken quite late in an area where a lot of the booths were already sold out, hence the few people. 50m ahead it was the usual crowd.

To give you an idea of the difference in pure numbers to yesterday, here is the cosplay area in comparison:


Cosplay area - Day 1

Cosplay area - Day 2

Yes, Comiket today was stuffed!

Was there for a while but it was hard to move, not even mentioning taking pictures. The ones I got:


Haruhi group

DRRR!! group

Hebi-hime with her trademark pose [One Piece]

Nami [One Piece]

Yui [K-ON!!]

Naruto pair

Ace [One Piece]

Ace and Sanada Yukimura crossover

Ace - Tatoo redesign? [One Piece]

Brook [One Piece]

Rin - [Kodomo no Jikan]

Captain Jack Sparrow

Yu-Gi-Oh pair

After buying some stuff I left and visited the special exhibition of the Miraikan: How modern technology could realize the tools of Doraemon (a popular robotic cat who helps the protagonist with various tools he brought from the future). They had exhibits on brain analysis, automatic speech translation (Japanese to English, Chinese and Korean --> speech to text), meta-materials and much more. Of course it was designed to be interesting for kids, but the science behind the tools was explained in English and interesting.


One-man helicopter

Adaptive/"learning" robot

Cybersuit

On my way back I came by the Tokyo International Exchange Center Festival 2010, the center being right next to the Miraikan and all. They got a booth for every country their students come from, from Africa to France.


Tokyo International Exchange Center Festival 2010

Tokyo International Exchange Center Festival 2010

Tokyo International Exchange Center Festival 2010

French booth

Getting there was a real hassle this time, unlike yesterday, with the whole station transformed into a maze to use every inch of ground for lines to the boarding platforms...Took a while, to say the least. Well, it was Saturday, Obon and in the summer holidays, so there were way more people traveling around.
What I didn't expect was this sight on the way back: The line doubled in length and now reached all the way out of the station and filled the plaza there! I heard that there was going to be a Fireworks Festival on Odaiba today, but for it to get so crowded...I was glad to get out there, the journey back to Tama Plaza was quite easy with few people traveling in that direction.

One heck of a line

I won't attend the third and final day of Comiket 78 tomorrow, still got some stuff to do and quite enough of being stuck in a crowd for a while. All in all worth it, however ^^

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 14, 2010 from Tokyo, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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Comiket - Day 1

Tokyo, Japan


Summer Wars group

Comiket 78 day 1 is over and my feet are tired. Bought some stuff, got some more for free and rubbed shoulders with countless other visitors. But from the beginning:


Miraikan-line
Wanted to enter the Miraikai again before going to Comiket to avoid the crowds (two hours waiting are quite possible if you reach there at the point of opening) and was greeted with the picture on the left. This line obviously ends at the entrance of the Miraikan, loops back (as you see in the picture), reaches the facade again, goes on along it to the opposite corner of this - very big - building, turns at the corner, continues there, then loops back to reach the facade again and ends near the corner opposing the entrance. Oh, and the markings on the street suggest that an even longer line is expected and manageable, by a slalom through eight trees, for example.
If I wanted enormous lines in the morning I would have gone to the Comiket first --> exactly what I did then.

===========


Entering - Riding the masses

After exiting the station I found a loop though the area in front of the Big Sight, but this was not really a line but a lot of people walking in the same direction. Didn't cost much time, but the sheer number of visitors is amazing. The venue can handle it, however, it really is BIG. Many halls, multiple storeys and you walk quite some time from one end to the other. Of course all the circles (35,000 of them, approximately) selling their stuff and all the potential buyers checking it out are taking the time spent exploring the area to a whole new level. Pictures are banned except for the cosplay areas, but it was an interesting experience in there. From the small circles selling their doujins to the big companies and makers having their booths with long lines in front of them and lots of stuff to hand you can get pretty much everything you need to satisfy your otaku needs.


Cosplay area - Day 1

And there are the cosplayers, great numbers of them. Not much more to say, just take a look:

Angel Beats pair

Mario

Fuehrer (the second one of the day)

Nara mascot

Mugi&Mio [K-ON!!]

Street Fighter

Sailor scouts

Mari [EVA]

I am thinking EVA02

Asuka&Rei [EVA]

Railgun pair

Kuroko [Railgun]

Uiharu [Railgun]

Ranka [Macross Frontier]

Macross Frontier pair

DRRR!! pair

Kuririn [DB(Z)]

Thriller Bark pair [One Piece]

One Piece group

BASARA group

Kurushitsuji group

Romance of the Three Kingdoms (I guess)

By the way, I saw someone dressed as Hitler inside, but not on the cosplay area, thus two Fuehrers.

Also there was this line with people putting their stuff into boxes and handing it to the guys at the stand --> I am pretty sure they are sending it home this was, a business opportunity well taken, if you ask me.

As I said before, pictures are banned inside, but I came across this spot on my way out, should give you a feeling for what's going on:


Circle hall

Circle hall

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 13, 2010 from Tokyo, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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Odaiba and Comiket preparations

Tokyo, Japan


Rainbow Bridge

Tomorrow marks the start of the three-day-madness that is Comiket 78, so I did some scouting today and got a good look at Odaiba as well.


Tokyo Big Sight

Started off at the Tokyo Big Sight of course, the venue for the Comic Market.

Some preparation going on there, both the on-site Conbini and Comiket crew stocking up on what they need to satisfy the masses to arrive tomorrow.


Conbini prep

Comiket catalogues

Well, now that I new where it is and how I get there, I was off to explore the rest of this man-made island.

================

While walking around I found these tiles, depicting star constellations. Some of them I knew and recognized, others, however, I could not make out at all. Heck, if not for the name I might not even have looked at some from the correct side. Wikipedia helped, once I was at home, but I still find the picture of Puppis confusing.


Constellation

Constellation

Constellation

Constellation

Also came across some girls advertising Red Bull and introducing the Japan-sized cans (a bit smaller than the ones at home). They where pretty surprised when I told them that I came from the same country as the stuff they where handing out *g*.


Red Bull ad car

Austria ^^

By the way, it started raining while I walked around. Typical.

================

One thing you should not miss in Odaiba are the enormous shopping malls with included gourmet restaurants and indoor amusement parks. Yes, different rides, houses of horror and lots of games under one roof. For those who like more physically challenging games there is the Muscle Park, where strength and skill are necessary to win.


Aqua city

Decks Tokyo Bay

Muscle Park

Indoor theme park

Came by this JUMP shop as well, lots and lots of merchandise and interesting crossovers.


JUMP shop

JUMP shop

Chopper - Overview

Zoom on nose

They where doing a lot drawing in front of it, meaning that you can buy a ticket and win whatever letter you draw (A-I I think), A and B being the grand prizes. Bought a ticket, got a B and am now the owner of a really big Whitebeard statue (One Piece).
Picture:


Edward "Whitebeard" Newgate

Still not sure how I will fit him in my trunk with all the other souvenirs, but nice nevertheless ^^

================

Right outside the Decks you can see the Statue of Liberty of Odaiba and the Rainbow Bridge.


Statue of Liberty

Some other pictures:


Outlook from Big Sight

Harbour cruise anyone?

Ferris wheel

Museum of Maritime Science

Flame of Liberty

Odaiba

================

I also visited the National Museum for Emerging Sciences and Innovation a.k.a. Miraikan, probably the most rewarding science museum of Japan. Lots of interesting info (if you like science, that is), interactive displays, and a stunning range of areas. You start of with the basics of science and research, enter space-related areas, go over to life sciences and end up at the earth as a whole. I really recommend a trip there, if the opportunity arises. They have their normal exhibition as well as a changing special exhibition, the latter of which I will visit in the next days as well.


Miraikan

Mobile robot

LEGO Mindstorm

LCD globe

Miraikan - Tech area

My heat image

From tomorrow on it's Comiket-time, this should be interesting.

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 12, 2010 from Tokyo, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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Kyo no Tanabata

Kyoto, Japan


Illuminated bamboo with wishes

I am back to Kyoto for two nights to tie up some loose ends (mainly culinary), attend the Kyo no Tanabata festivities and use my rail pass to its fullest *g*
Got the guest house, checked in and was off again. One of the major advantages of having a home-base is the fact that you can travel light and leave you heavy stuff behind --> Exactly what I did.
Anyway, I organized some stuff for the future (made some phone calls, troubled some LAWSON-employees [not my fault that even they can't handle their vending machines]) and got myself some delicious food. Post about the culinary side of this trip in the making.

The Kyo no Tanabata is, as the name suggests, Kyoto's Tanabata festival and lasts a week. During this time the city is decorated with lots of bamboo, to which the locals attach their wishes.
Tanabata is the time of the year when two stars are said to meet, the legend being that Hitoboshi and Orihime (our two stars in question) fell in love with each other and neglected all their work in the heavens. This made the ruler of those realms angry and so he separated them, putting the Milky Way between them. He was moved by their love, however, and allowed them to meet once a year --> Tanabata. In the west the stars are called Altair and Vega.
Tanabata is celebrated either on 7/7 or 8/8 of the year and its custom to write the wish you want the stars to fulfill on a strip of paper and hang it on a bamboo.
Ok, enough info, here are some pictures:


Entrance

Lights from afar

Illuminated bamboo with wishes

Main grove?

The Kamogawa and the Horigawa (rivers) are the sites for the main decorations, with lots of illuminated stuff and floating LEDs, representing the Milky Way.
Till know the pictures where from the Kamogawa site, the Horikawa ones follow.


Chimes

Bamboo deco


Grove and floating LEDs

Fabric and lights


Floating LEDs

Start of the fabric

There is more to see, but as I had another day in Kyoto I postponed that and went home. Took this opportunity to do some planning of the next two weeks, after which my girlfriend will finally join me here in Japan. By the way, I was staying at the same guest house like last time for these two nights.

Turns out it rained the next day, intervals of soft sprinkles and downpours, heavy on the latter --> Bought an umbrella from a Convenience Store, still not the weather you want to be exposed to. Got some lunch and headed for the shopping arcades. Ended up in a cinema in the end and confirmed that many movies are NOT dubbed in Japan (well, except for animation) but subbed, a strategy I really like.
I didn't get to see the rest of the Kyo no Tanabata, but that's a) tolerable and b) nothing I can do something about.

So long and stay tuned,
JuergenS

permalink written by  JuergenS on August 10, 2010 from Kyoto, Japan
from the travel blog: Two month of Japan
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