rosesvoyages

[rosesvoyages]

Money, money, money, money...MONEY

When I lived in Japan, people loved to ask me about how expensive it was.   It was quite similar to the amount of times people asked me about the advanced technology I must be living with every day.  How were my robot overlords?  I must say, sadly the answer to both these questions is that any difference to the UK is vastly over exaggerated.    In Japan, cash was and still is the main method of payment.  To the extent that when I worked for a Japanese newspaper we ran stories on ‘cashless’ societies in Europe (which were also greatly over exaggerated #fakenews). Japanese fruits cost, about the same as English ones.  Same for rent, cities are more expensive, just as in the UK.  The food is the same price, although definitely higher quality than the UK.  The only reason I can think for this idea is that people either think purely of 1980s Japan, or people stick to the touristy areas.  Think Oxford Street, Green Park, and Kensington in London.  Expensive, aren’t they.  If you only go there then it is a costly evening for wining and dining.

Five years later, I’ve moved to Norway and hardly anyone asks me how expensive it is.  I must remind my friends when I see them, beer is £9 for 300ml.  And fresh fruit and vegetables?  Extraordinary expensive.  Shocking, isn’t it!  I’m going to England this weekend for an engagement party and am planning on stocking up on essentials, clothing and inessentials such as tawdry trinkets.  Cannot wait!  Where is the most expensive place you’ve lived in?  And how much have you paid for a pint?  Current record for me, 1 tiny Bailey’s shot for £7.50.  Kill me now.  This is why I’m getting married, to split this cost.

[rosesvoyages]

Huh?

My next two posts are going to be contrasting the social norms of the three countries I have lived in (not including a very formative summer in China, where I saw more people spit on the street than in 25 years of life).  

Itis quite interesting to now live in Norway, a country which almost prides itself on having no social niceties, when I come from England and have lived in Japan.  Both countries with huge layers of social intricacies, language variations and an emphasis on doing and saying the right thing at the right time.  A friend once jokingly old me, this is because all the Norwegian aristocracy perished in the Black Death, so there was no one left to carry on the airs and graces. Whatever the reason, Norway is a country where it can often feel like people are being blunt.  

At least when I was fresh off the boat, I certainly felt that way.  When complimented on their English people would look down at their shoes or off into the middle distance and begin a diatribe along the lines of, well of course I’m fluent in English.  Although, dear reader, I must say not quite as fluent as many people think, there is a surprising amount of Norwenglish, making it 60% intelligible but not quite right.  I work in a school and you could tell the non-Norwegian children, who said pardon, from the Norwegian ones who said, huh?  

Now I am used to this, and it is strange how in my 7 months of living here, these things now seem normal to me.  Part of it is a linguistic thing.  As mentioned previously, whilst there is certainly an extremely high level of proficiency, helped by an abundance of English language TV, there is a lack of subtlety and true fluency.  When I switch into Norwegian people are firstly, shocked I am able to speak so much (which surprises me, I’ve lived here over half a year, I should be able to have the intermediate level conversations I can) and happy.  They love talking in their own language and being able to truly express themselves.  Some can be brusque, like everywhere, but people appreciate your efforts. It is all about perspective.

[rosesvoyages]

Light relief

Norway is full of Norwegians who love their country with a kind of zeal that implies they don’t get out much.  However, it certainly is working it’s charm.  After spending a beautiful spring, followed by the warmest summer on record here, and now as winter draws near, I feel I can say the light is different here.  Perhaps it is the proximity to the pole  but certainly in the summer, when daylight lasted until midnight and then begun at 3am, the sunlight had a clear, more crystalline quality.  Sometimes it  is nice to be reminded we live in the world, and can still be affected by it.  Now on to the winter, with 4 hours of said light.

[rosesvoyages]

I should have never said yes…

So it turns out I’ve been cheated.  Norwegian weddings are incredibly low key and thoroughly DIY. Stop everything!  I expected at least the same as an English wedding (lots of pomp and circumstance along with booze aplenty) but instead I found a strangely austere, unshowy people who spend much less than English weddings.  Despite wages being much, much higher, the average wedding spend is under £10k.  This also includes a lot of people self-catering, doing the booze run to Sweden (for cheap alcohol, sweets and other luxury items.  There is a free bus to facilitate this, nicknamed, The Bacon Bus) and generally a lot less of the service one gets in a wedding package in the UK.  

I have gone crazy researching venues, getting quotes and more or less (at time of writing 3 weeks + 2 days after Proposal) picked my venue and got a good idea of the dress.   However, most of the places I look at have done packages, some with a wedding breakfast and evening buffets; some with waited food.  Both these would be unimaginable in a Norwegian wedding. Whilst we may plan to spend the same as we would in Norway we will get much more bang for our buck in England.

Also whilst I was always planning to self-fund… Norwegian parents don’t pay for weddings?!  Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

P.S. I have no regrets about saying yes and am only joking.

[rosesvoyages]

Dear Reader, I married him…

Well in a few months I will!  So…drum roll please…I got engaged.  In Florence. It was well nice.  Isn’t it shocking that I, a real life Bridget Jones-esque character (this isn’t just me kidding myself here, anecdotes include the time I was meeting the Japanese government on a top secret advisory project my shoe fell off), am engaged to a lovely man.  I have been a bit AWOL from the blog, which will be changing as I update you.  The reason I have not been writing is that I have been besieged by visitors and gallivanting around Norway and England myself.  Life can be very interesting and one of the joys, although also the issues is that you can never tell where you’re going to end up.

Five years ago and a thousand miles away, I begun this blog writing about my time in Japan.  I distinctly remember a conversation with an older and wiser friend in an Indian restaurant (a space of one can attain enlightenment) saying that I just didn’t think I would get married.  Not because of anti-marriage sentiment, just that I did not think I was that sort of girl who would end up married.  

Now I live in a country I never would have dreamed of, and I studied in China, worked for a Japanese newspaper, been at the coal face of capitalism, and am currently curled up under sheets about to face my first Norwegian winter.  What larks, Pip, what larks.

So (I’m including a picture of the ring at the top) I suppose you’re wondering what happened.  My boyfriend and I were on a holiday in Florence, making use of our fabulous FlorenceCards by tearing up every Museum and Art Gallery in sight.  I felt like my boyfriend was slightly tense, although this did not strike me as odd given aforementioned marathon sprint around the entire 5 museums of the Pitti and Bobboli Gardens.   He suggested a weirdly large and fancy lunch, although again given we were in a city with lovely Tuscan food (and we live in Norway where food is a)expensive and b)bland ) this was also not unusual.  We then went to the Bardini Gardens.  We sat on a small bench overlooking the cityscape whilst I gulped down some Coca-Cola, my beverage of choice in the 29 degree heat. I am a vampire and so do not react well the sunshine despite loving it so.  Other tourists kept coming in drips and drabs to admire the view.    Bear in mind that I had once said something about not liking the idea of a public proposal, and my boyfriend said he was thinking about several spots, including that one.  Another contender was a wisteria tunnel which whilst beautiful held the same threat of passers-by.  At the bottom of that tunnel and slightly to the side was a beautiful, sea shell encrusted grotto I now know is called the Pergola of Roses.  We sat on a bench enjoying another clandestine view of Florence, talking about something (let’s pretend high brow).  I stood up, ready to move on to explore the rest of the garden and Peter grabbed my hand.  He went down on one knee and asked me by my full name if I would marry him.  He then pulled out a copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy.  He had cut a ring box sized hole in the book (he said it was a bad translation anyway) and pulled out a diamond ring.  It was very nice.  I then obviously had to call and Skype my entire family.  

We wandered round town and Oltrarno, looking at things with a buzzing excitement. We got a drink (me an Irish coffee, I don’t like the taste of alcohol but I decided the occasion called for it) and then went to a restaurant my boyfriend frequented when he was a visiting student in Florence.   We were a little early, but they let us in and the meal was just beautiful in every way.  Perhaps because they could tell we were celebrating (although we were both too bashful to say about what) or perhaps because my boyfriend kept earnestly telling the waiters how much he loved every course we ended up getting free drinks including some limoncello, which I despise but it was a nice gesture.

We had been out all day, but ended up staying until closing time and walking back across the Ponte Sata Trinata, looking over the Ponte Veccio.  I don’t want this tale to sound like the birth of one of those smug married couples, gleefully delighting in their own self-satisfaction.  I am lucky to have met someone, and have the most wonderful family around me to share in my happiness in my Mum and Aunt.   This is such a major change and I cannot wait to see how it develops.

Stay tuned for more on planning a wedding in record time in a country you don’t live in (seriously I could not help myself) and detailed info on my travels in Norway and beyond!

[rosesvoyages]

How to get a job in Norway

So once I landed, I begun to investigate getting a job.  I have decided the make the hard decision and quit my job at home.  This was based on the feasibility of working from (my new) home whilst settling in, which I thought wouldn’t work and the fact that my English salary would not stretch.  So I decided I would get a job here.

As mentioned previously, I was shocked to discover that in order to get medical care, or a bank account I needed a social security number.   To get a social security number, even a temporary one, is an extremely long process.  I find this amusing because this is exactly what I used to do for a living to help people coming to the UK, and now I had to do it for myself.  The process is much harder in Norway than England.  I can confirm this not just from my professional experience but also my boyfriend’s experience of coming to the UK and registering with a doctor.  Very easy if you have utility bills.

So first I tried to get this social security number and I was basically given the run around.  The government websites give contradictory advice and do not clearly explain what they mean.  One says you can only apply after 6 months but this is inaccurate and only refers to one type of number.  I registered with UDI as a job seeker. What a hassle.  I would say they look at one as though I’m some sort of scrounging scum (they don’t know I went to Oxford, so this is probably the default). I have heard the same experiences from colleagues and friends.  I would also say that if you are not a native English speaker it must be such a difficult and alienating experience.  And globally speaking, I’m minted i.e. have enough money to look after myself with. Although that doesn’t make a difference in Norway.  Without an employment contract the bank refused to give me an account.  Which contradicts the government advice.  But I digress.

Anyway, just to prove a point I got a job the next day.  I was very lucky.  Trondheim has a very different culture to London.  One is advised to hand out CVs and go door to door.  I got mine printed out and ready to go.  I sent out a couple of emails and was asked to come in the next day for an interview.  It was suggested I apply for an upcoming job and that was it!  I am one step closer to getting everything, however the bank will still take another month to open an account for me.  Crazy.

This was extremely opportune not just because of the monetary and medical gains the main reason I wanted a job was so that my boyfriend’s brother won’t think that all I do it sit at home and watch ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ all day.  Because I do just sit at home and watch ‘Say Yes to the Dress’ all day, but nobody likes to be found out.  I would pretend that it is because it is one of the few English language programmes on TV apart from ‘Father Brown’, which is perennially one, but I got into it after the New Yorker (see earlier Japan blogs) got married.  I have no shame.

[rosesvoyages]

Norwegians have Mediterranean souls

So it turns out that Norwegian love BBQs, who knew.  When there’s even a glimmer of sunlight, they all take off their tops (including the women) and go out to sunbathe or have a barbecue in the back garden.  I’ve seen one family who erected a huge multi-story water slide through their house because it was 22 degrees C.

They have a very nice appreciation for any ounce of heat.  I think this is partially inspired by the fact that Norway is not a warm country. Norwegians know how horrible the rest of the year can be, so when spring/summer rolls around they go crazy.

This is how I discovered that they also have a different attitude towards female uncoveredness. Now, perhaps I am prudish but my description of the British situation would be – it gets hot, lots of men (normally the unattractive middle aged ones who feel compelled to do this) take their shirts off.  In London some exhibitionist women might go out in bikinis.  But I wouldn’t say it is the norm.  In Norway I have literally seen hundreds of women in bikinis on their way to grassy verges to sunbathe.  Every grassy verge is overrun.  I live opposite one of the major hotspots for sunny days in town, and I get an eyeful!

Am I right in thinking this is not how we do things in blighty?

[rosesvoyages]

START SPREADING THE NEWS END OF JUNE BABES

[rosesvoyages]

You want how much?! NOK vs GBP

Dear readers, I know that this may not come as a surprise to you but, my gosh, Norway is expensive.   So to those of you wondering how much does it really cost to live to Norway, let me tell you, bloody loads!  I cannot tell you how soul crushing it is for a consumer like me to actually experience this. Now yes, I had been prepped before I came.    However, I cannot help myself from still recoiling in horror when I see prices.  And this is backed up by fact, you can see a comparison of consumer prices here: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_countries_result.jsp?country1=Norway&country2=United+Kingdom

Shocking.  The UK is cheaper in every respect, except private school fees.  Funnily enough that’s where I now work but that is a story for another blog post.   Now, I don’t think that takes into account cost compared to salaries, which you can also see are 30% lower in the UK. So on average I suppose things being a third less expensive in the UK evens out and makes sense.  However as you will also note, rent is LESS expensive in Norway when you take into account salaries.  Luckily, I do not have to worry about rent or utilities because I am a gold digger, and I think it would be quite unfeasible for me just to have moved to Norway.  Fun fact, the people at the immigration offices try to keep you out as much as possible and make the process as hard as possible.  This will be covered in a later post, but my gosh.  

Toiletries such as shampoo costs around £7 a bottle.  Medicines are extremely expensive.  Paracetamol costs £5 per pack.  Luckily I came with a suitcase choc-a-bloc full of 16p paracetamol (you never know) and such luxury items so that I don’t have to upset myself by buying one.  Especially as I came over having quit my job on the logic that, why freelance, my money will be worth nothing here.  Which it is, but I was a little worried until I got the job. I have realised that all the pastimes I found quite enjoyable, shopping, going to museums and eating out, are all now out of budgets.  Museums are about £20 entry, which makes going to hundreds of them out of the questions. And they all cost money.  Eating out is something interesting, Norwegians eat out much less than we do in the UK, because it costs a small fortune. However we in England spend more on this because we go out more, it costs less so we get suckered into buying more. Sounds fair to me.  Also I have literally just remembered it is my boyfriend’s birthday in less than a week.  I need to buy him something, the one thing he asked for I have been unable to locate because I am a stranger in a strange land.  Help me.  

I have been clothes ‘shopping’, I mainly just gawked at the prices.  Clothes here make the likes of Topshop (which I think can be hit and miss, but for argument’s sake let’s say on trend pieces) and Marks and Sparks (dependable, quality pieces) look veritably bargain basement prices.  Clothes are exorbitant.  Tops generally cost about £100.  Kill me now.  Also the quality is much worse here.  There are two indigenous cheap clothing stores, Gina Tricot and Bik Bok.  I have been warned by colleagues about both of them. Sometimes, when looking through them the clothing is ok, but quite often it looks visibly poor quality.  The dresses are see through and apparently don’t last.  I tried on a beautiful baby blue summer dress, it looked lovely however when I turned around I noticed that my ‘day of the week’ underwear was clearly visible (and it looked as if someone had written the word Saturday in a ghostly semi-transparent cursive script across my derriere).  I feel like (obviously you need to judge it) but even Primark sells some quite good things that aren’t see through.  I recently purchased two sets of plisse culottes from Gina Tricot in desperation for 190 NOK each (£17, gosh I must be desperate), I shall let you know how they fare.

And I am actually a canny shopper, I love a bargain but I’ve certainly got my rampant consumerism out of my system.   Now I live in a zen like mood.  I neither need nor desire.  Plus I’ve got this massive shopping list for when I got back to England. Dear reader, fear not as this lifestyle has cleansed my head and also means that when I go to the UK in June I’m going to go crazy.  

To quote Romy and Michelle, ‘I just get so happy when they finally let her shop’.

[rosesvoyages]

Norwegians are awful people?

Dear Log,

 As you can I am adjusting well to my new life.  I am being tongue in cheek with this title.  I wanted to discuss the cultural observations I have already garnered. Firstly, the Norwegians can come across as a brusque lot.  They can seem surly, and unresponsive to basic human kindness.  But I have realised I think this is down to an innate shyness rather than anything personal.  Let me explain.

I felt this quite keenly when I was in A &E.  The doctor who saw me spoke very good English.  I complimented him and all staff who I had interacted with on this.  His reply was, ‘well of course what else would you expect’.  Which he said straight faced and without any irony.  As if it were a slight to say such a thing, of course everybody can communicate in a medical situation in English, where do I think I am?  France?!

 I think it is the combination of amazing English fluency, and lack of any facial expressions.  And I think the reason for this, is whilst the level is high, there is relatively little practise with native speakers and therefore confidence is low.  So whilst the average Norwegian on the street can remember all their English lessons and phrases from the constant stream of English language TV they actually are not comfortable enough to use it AND make jokes.

Secondly, when my boyfriend’s mother came to visit us one day I wanted to say, it was lovely to see you.  I asked how I would say this in Norwegian.  She thought about it, then said, ‘we don’t have such a phrase, we aren’t that polite!’.  There aren’t the same levels of formality or linguistic pandering that there are in English in Norwegian.  Which I don’t mind, I’d rather seem really polite than rude.  But I do find it amusing.  To me, saying such verbal pleasantries are just part of life.  They’re just me making conversation really.  It would create negativity if I didn’t say them.  When I compliment a Norwegian, they all look mildly shocked, as though I really mean the compliment.   As though by saying something is nice/lovely/cute, I’m saying it is the MOST nice/lovely/cute thing I’ve ever seen.  Sometimes I feel like saying, ‘calm down everyone, I don’t think the new curtains are that lovely’.

 At a dinner party I was at, I was joking about this.  Norwegians take it very well.  Someone made the serious point that they thought this was a cultural thing traced back to the Black Death.  It seems that Norway’s population was decimated by the Black Death, and all its aristocracy wiped out.  That’s why quite a few people have surnames related to ‘stealing a house’ because there were suddenly a lot of nice houses going begging.  It seems with the aristocracy gone, only the peasant class were left and they didn’t have grand formal language or linguistic tendencies.  I wonder if this is true?  It certainly gives me good teasing ammunition if so.

��ES

[rosesvoyages]

Going to A & E in Norway!

Well nobody can I say I’m not getting the maximum out of my EHIC card.  I practically got off the plane started to come down with something.   I more or less went immediately deaf in one ear after I arrived in Norway, which was very annoying and involved a surprise trip to A & E on day 3 of my new life.  This is something which happens to me quite regularly, so I realised what it was and could easily get the treatment I needed.

 In Norway, the operate a pay up to a point threshold system, where your care after about £200 is free. Let us say that I am close to getting that threshold.  My EHIC card entitles me to get the same treatment as residents so unfortunately, the Norwegians caring for me had to cough up the fee.  Which was jolly nice of them.  I was in a lot of pain.

 Getting a GP over here is a surprisingly complex process.  Whilst in the UK as long as you have an address you can basically get a GP anywhere, and you might need your EHIC but I think a lot of places will just take you anyway.  Or at least that was the carefree experience my boyfriend had.  In Norway however, it is a different story.  They make you get a social security number or a bank account. Bank accounts you cannot get without a social security number, and the lady at the bank gleefully informed me, a Norwegian employment contract.  Now, I cannot verify this online, so I anticipate I will have to get into my indignant British woman mode and complain if they force this issue.  However, it is so ludicrous that I cannot get my PAID medical care without a social security number, which takes months to get.  Oh well, I’ll just have to continue to darken the doors of A & E for all my minor ailments until such a time as I am deemed a temporary citizen of the state

 My experience there was very pleasant.  I went on a Saturday morning, apparently the quiet time.  You book a slot (good idea, UK take note) and whilst you can get jostled down the list if an emergency comes in, I found it much more civil than just waiting regardless of priority.  I strolled in at 9.55am for my 10am appointment and was in and out in half an hour.  I even got a ‘free’ blood test.  Now that’s bang for your buck.  The doctor who saw me was wearing an extremely low cut set of scrubs, so I had to stop myself being transfixed by chest hair as he spoke to me in impeccable English.  So if hunky young doctors in revealing outfits are what you’re into... It was basically a kind of futuristic healthcare utopia.  He phoned his superior for a long phone call and a second opinion, which, as these things always are, was translated to me in the form of one word.  I think it was fine.

 You’ll be pleased to know I can now hear again, which always elicits a kind of euphoric appreciation of sound in me for the next couple of days.  And I imagine my Norwegian will really improve!

��

[rosesvoyages]

Arriving in Norway

So its official, I have now arrived in Norway to begin a new life filled with herring, hygge (which is Danish) and wholesomeness.  There’s even a soppy dog for gawdsake.  

WHY HAVE I DONE THIS? Well, the reason is a boy.  There’s always a boy isn’t there.  That wasn’t the whole reason of course, you know me by now. The faintest whiff of travel and I’m already there on Skyscanner trying to work out the cheapest route.  I thought this was a new adventure.   So when I got the chance to live rent free and move over for the summer I said, ‘Ok, as long as I don’t have to eat a lot of fish’.

 And I’m continuing to refer to the phrase hygge, even though A) that’s so 2017 and B) it is Danish, the Norwegian would be hyggelig or more correctly translated koselig. And my gosh, everything is koselig.  The wallpaper, the decorations, the sandwiches.  It’s a strange almost indescribable thing, it isn’t cute it’s just wholesome and sweet.  In winter, when it is practically 24 hours of darkness everyone has tonnes of fairy lights and other attractively shaped lights to adorn their houses which they leave on all the time.  When questioned about this and the environmental impact, the Norwegian replied, ‘well otherwise it would be depressing!’.  Indeed perhaps that is the real meaning of koselig, to make it not frim to be alive.  Which is not a bad thing.  Although I am perplexed by the weird environmental standards.  They recycle like madmen, but the recycling plants are located in inaccessible hill forts which require one to drive there.  

The Xenophobe’s Guide to Norway, which I have read and am keeping as a kind of anthropological study guide, agrees with me.  Another strange thing is that there is no TV watershed for swearing, only nudity.  So they blasely broadcast reruns of Southpark and other ‘late night’ comedy shows at 10am.  Suits me, but what about the children?!  Maybe they are correct in thinking children should be in school so really it should only be people who are over 18 and unemployed who need some comedy.  Again, ‘well otherwise it would be depressing!’, perhaps it is koselig.

As you can see I have done a small revamp of the blog.  Don’t worry you can still read my other shoddy observations about other countries but stay tuned for my scandi-noir!

[rosesvoyages]

Meeting with friends

This is a little post about the people I meet up with in Japan.  This set included, friends from England (now living there), friends from Japan (who have learned English since I last saw them, which was a weird sensation!) and even old professors.  Each one was a special experience and it reminded me that even though you may not see people every day the bonds between you can be strong and stable, like the UK economy.  It is touching and lovely to reconnect with an old friend, especially when there is usually an ocean and many miles between you.  Relationships constantly develop and you change, however it is very nice when relationships continue to bob along and flow with your journey.

[rosesvoyages]

Don’t fancy slumming it? A note on hostels in Japan…

A quick note on hostels in Japan and why you may want to rethink staying in one.

Firstly, when I say hostels, there are many different types.  The obvious ‘cheap accommodation’ in japan is capsule hotels, whilst these are a viable option and may be fun to try there are many more inexpensive options to consider.

Japanese hostels are cheap, well equipped and common.  Japan has a good supply of cheap dormitory rooms, tatami provate rooms or indeed one/two bed tiny rooms which are perfectly pleasant.  I have stayed in a one bed costing £16 a night which was a bed and an air conditioner and nothing else.  However the bathroom was full of toiletries and the communal areas well stocked. This has been true of all the budget accommodation spots I’ve stayed in.  Some have beds, some tatami, and the private options are generally not that much more expensive than the private option.  In fact I would say that there is little difference between the cheaper hotels and the more expensive hostels, I would even say the atmosphere in hostels is better!

Let’s talk about Love Hotels.  Now, I know what you’re thinking.  I’m not renting a sex room.  Riddle me this, how many people do you think have sex in regular hotel rooms? Probably not that much less than in a love hotel.  Anyone can rent one, especially when the ones which are bookable in a vending machine style machine with no human interaction.  It is possible to rent for a ‘nap’, good for jet lag or a whole night.  I know female sex friend couples who have rented them without trouble, although I think male-male may not be able to do this.  The rooms are usually themed and have luxurious baths with special toiletries. So actually you can get more bang for your buck (excuse the pun, I couldn’t resist) than a regular hotel and a quirky experience to boot.  You can always find a room on the day, unless it is Christmas (Japanese Valentine’s day) I know from personal experience, or if you want to ensure you have a spot you can now even reserve via booking.com!

[rosesvoyages]

When should you visit Japan?

The eternal question. There are obviously pros and cons to travelling to Japan at any time of year and having lived a whole year’s worth of seasons I would say each has their perks.  I have listed below my opinions for each season for your perusal in order of my preference for visiting:

1. Spring:

Average Temperature Tokyo:  Mar 9˚C Apr 14˚C May 18˚C

 I am not immune to the charms of spring in Japan.  I was sceptical before I lived there, what’s the big deal about blossom trees, I thought? Spring begins with the plum blossoms in early March, the smaller and less glamorous cousins of the cherry blossoms. Then the sakura come into bloom in late March, unmissable, in your face, every tree seemingly is a cheery cherry blossom.  There is a forecast of how the cherry blossom front moves throughout Japan from numerous sources including here.  I fell in love with cherry blossom and I always love to see them.  They are spectacular and so many themed goods are also available. Every food is sakura flavoured, including coffees and a carnival atmosphere descends on uptight Japanese society.  Public drinking in parks is the norm, everyone goes to hanami (blossom viewing) and in general it is a lovely time to visit.

I would say, temperatures can be fairly bracing.  Whilst nowhere near as bitterly cold as winter, a jacket is still required and it can often be quite rainy.  The other main con is the constant tourists who clog up the sites and drive up the prices. Flights are about £100-£200 more than usual during this period.  Just after sakura season (i.e. 8th-22nd April) is normally a nice time to travel, you can still catch the end of the blossoms, much more impressive than the beginning and all the themed goods.  The weather is getting slightly warmer, around 14˚C each day in Tokyo, and I find it better than the rush of the final week of March/first week of April.

2. Autumn:

Average Temperature Tokyo: Sep 23˚C Oct 18˚C Nov 12˚C

 Second best is Autumn. Little known by comparison to Sakura is Momiji or Koyo.  Domestically, the red leaves of autumn are almost as popular as the cherry blossoms.  Resplendent, and let’s face it a more mature colour pallet for us all to get behind, the russets, golds and oranges of autumn are a wonderful backdrop to view Japan.  The weather is often more pleasant to go sightseeing in than the more extreme seasons of summer and winter.  September is what I as an English woman would call summer weather, and even October is still warm.  There is also Momiji themed food and other cute items to buy so I think it is a firm second place season.

A con of travelling in autumn is that you may think it would be boring.  Red leaves are not that interesting, although they are very impressive in Japan.  It may lack the extreme wow factor held by the other months, although I do believe taking all things into account this is a real contender and a dark horse. Sometimes, it can be rainy and November starts to get a little frosty and grey.

3. Winter:

Average Temperature Tokyo: Dec 8 ˚C Jan 5˚C Feb 6˚C

 Now I must say it is a tossup between winter and summer for me and my ‘third favourite’ season to visit. Winter has won this position simply because of the quaint charm and festive period.  There is warming foods such as oden (boiled goods soups).  If you think of Japan in winter one famous image is the snow macaque monkeys bathing in hot springs.  This is viewable all year round in Jigokudani, near Nagano about 4 hours outside of Tokyo, although there is something special about the idea of snow monkeys!  Japan is very picturesque and snow certainly shows it off.  There is the famous Sapporo Snow Festival where giant snow sculptures are exhibited if you fancy travelling as far north as Hokkaido.  Of course there is also skiing, if you’re into that. Christmas in Japan is purely aesthetic and consumerist, with KFC being the traditional Christmas meal for most, so that is a fun culture shock if you fancy spending that period abroad.  New Year’s is more comparable to a western Christmas idea and is a family and religious celebration.  Oshougatsu as it is called in Japanese is also the time for lucky bags (pot luck discount bags from shops) and mass sales.

Cons include the bitter, bitter cold weather.  Japan certainly gets cold in winter and in metropolitan areas it may not snow that much. When it does snow it may mean that the usually very good transport system can shut down and of course getting around can be less pleasant by foot with ice and slush on the ground.  Traditional Japanese buildings can be badly insulated.

4. Summer:

Average Temperature Tokyo: Jun 21˚C Jul 25˚C Aug 26˚C

 Summer is a joyous time in Japan.  There are frequent matsuri or festivals, meaning that there are firework displays and yukata (summer kimonos) almost every day.  There is more or less constant sunshine so sightseeing need not be impeded by bad weather.  Every building will have air con to help you relax in the heat.  Japan has many beaches and whilst it may not strike one as the obvious place to go for bikini sessions, why not take a refreshing swim in the sea or a lake to keep cool in the summer?!

The biggest problem is the extreme heat and humidity.  I have never known anything like it, although I am a heat wuss.  It is often too hot to move around and so seeing things outside a building can be unpleasant.  Obviously, the solution is to take constant breaks for drinks and stay hydrated, so it is not an insurmountable problem!  In August there is also Obon, a big Japanese festival which involves everyone travelling biblical style back to their home towns, so check ahead to ensure you don’t get caught in the melee.  A note for foreigners, shoulders should be covered to be respectful and it is very common to see Japanese women, despite the extreme heat wearing t shirts under their outfits to keep modest!

[rosesvoyages]

Now for the follow up post, how to while away a week in Kansai and Kyoto!

We stayed with my old Homestay Family in Kobe, drank lots of sake and ate lots of sushi. We saw a sake brewery with a futuristic robot, and therefore quickly left after tasting everything.  We popped into Kobe University, then bought a kimono in a second hand shop.  One can do this anywhere, so I will not class it as a Kansai only thing to do! We had dinner in a perennial favourite of mine, Japanese fifties themed izakaya, Hana-be.  We then had dessert with my Homestay family, which was very nice of them!

We popped to Kyoto with a friend of mine.  I got nostalgic!  We went around Arashiyama Monkey Park.  This was something I’ve wanted to go to for a long time and never got round to it.  I’ve encouraged other people to go but never made it myself.  I had a great time!  Not only is it located in the heart of Arashiyama bamboo forest, a cutesy area of Kyoto lined with shops and cafes in traditional style, but it also had lax safety laws.  The monkeys were just out in the wild!  There was a wire mesh behind which you could feed the monkeys fruit, however the wire was clearly for your protection not theirs.  I love it and would happily go back.  A word of caution, it is literally up a mountain with little safety fencing.  I feared for myself.  Once you make it up you then can get mauled to death by monkeys if they wish.  You take your life in your hands but get to be in close proximities to primates and see a stunning view of Kyoto city.  We also popped into some of the famous parfait parlours in Gion for some delicious Japanese tea ice cream sundaes.

We went on a day trip to Nara, to get eaten by deer and see a massive Buddha.  It was great.  We also went to Fuhimi-Inari Shrine, another big hitter and definitely worth a visit.

Then we did a kimono dress up in Gion. We did a Temple tour, including to Kinkakuji and Kiyomizu-dera and the surrounding environs, which are fun to mill around in (or as the Japanese day bura-bura).  It was a day rounded off by going to a local bar.

We upped sticks and moved over to Osaka and Pokemon Centre.  We spent a day relaxing in Spa World, eating tempura, the local style is exceedingly good, and then going out with my friend for okonomiyaki and beers.  Osaka and Kansai are foodie areas of Japan, not for highfalutin food but real homely, filling food.  The delicious, umami kebabs of Japan.  Only classy. Kyoto also has its own cuisine, which is a bit more gourmet.  Both are worth trying to excess whilst there.

[rosesvoyages]

I wanted to give some advice about places that are worth visiting in Tokyo and outline some places we went as we visited last time!

We begun our journey in Tokyo landing fresh eyed and bushy tailed in Narita.  The first day is always fraught with jet lag and just sheer exhaustion I find, no matter how far you travel.  So we stuck close to our fabulous hostel, Shinjuku N.U.T.S. (what does it stand for, no one knows!) and went out to Shinjuku Gyoen to see the sakura and a local izakaya.  The park, Shinjuku Gyoen, is a lovely example of green space in Tokyo and a nice spot for a picnic or forest bathing if you’re hip and trendy!

The next day we hit the ground running and went to Harajuku, a must see, for some people watching and retail therapy along with Meiji Jingu to get our culture fix, and then Omotesando and Shibuya.  These are basically shopping areas and Meiji Jingu is a major Japanese shrine for the Meiji Emperor.  There are lots of clothing shops and major department stores like Don Quixote which is fun and weird for first timers.  I’m desensitised to the items such as Pokemon onesies or the famous ‘Black-man’ brand boxers but I still remember the thrill of seeing them for the first time and being shocked.  We rounded off each day with a different type of Japanese cuisine from Ramen to Izakaya food serving Japanese tapas style small dishes. 

We also went to an owl cafe, which I have mixed feeling about.  The animals were tetchy and nocturnal so obviously unhappy with the constant stream of tourists throughout the day.  I asked about their welfare, the employee informed me the air quality in Tokyo is too bad to let them fly outside (yeah right) but they are allowed into a large enclosure at night.  They also had very sharp claws and went for me a couple of times.  Overall, I felt like I was supporting a potentially bad system.  I may not go to such an animal cafe again, as although it is enjoyable it is also possibly morally bad.  Another experience which I felt did not meet my expectations was Shimokitazawa.  As any hipster interested in Japan worth their salt will know this is the trendy, Shoreditch-esque area of Tokyo.  However, I thought it was full of the same second hand shops as Harajuku with little in the way of atmosphere to make it worth the trek.

We popped into Ikebukuro Sunshine City and bought some souvenirs.  Why not be like us and spend £100 GBP in the Pokemon store?  See some other weird items we saw.  We enjoyed meandering down side streets and spent a fair amount of time imbibing the atmosphere and paying homage to the small temples and shrines dotted around Tokyo.  We headed to Asakusa to see Sensou-ji, a big touristy Temple that one must tick off the list!

We left the hubbub of the capital for Hakone.  Long story short, Mt Fuji, bucolic temples, onsen (hot springs). We stayed at K’s House, which was new and quite nice although nothing compared to the Izu K’s House which is still the best place I’ve ever stayed in Japan.  See my post about it here.

We chilled out in Hakone for a couple of days, sought out Mt Fuji and ended up bumping into him on a train out of town, then headed to Kansai.  I will have a separate post about all the fabulous things one can do in Kansai shortly after this blog.

Once we had returned to Tokyo for the tail end of our trip.  We visited the Edo Tokyo Museum, which is really interesting, and provides a good overview of Japanese history, and the nearby sumo rich Ryogoku area.  We played count the sumo wrestlers, much as we also went on to play count the Geisha and Yakuza in Kansai.  Weirdly, perhaps beginner’s luck for my friend’s first time in Japan, it was a very high count for all categories.

We spent a long time in Akihabara.  My friend had but one rule, she could only buy the sea creature plushie if she could name the species.  Tragically, this rule was abandoned when the fifth one was picked up and she correctly guessed Dumbo Octopus, to my amazement.  We spent many, many thousands of yen on gatchapon, the small vending machine pot luck toys, which are certainly addictive, played some arcade games, and met up with an old friend for coffee.  The perfect end to a perfect trip.