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luvdsc · 4 years ago

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i just saw a thing, and got really inspired by it, and immediately thought of you: could you describe some of your mutuals as characters in an au? if you don’t have time to then it’s okay!

hi, honey bee! 🐝✨ i was torn between writing a fic idea for each one where they were y/n with their bias or how i described my biases here, but I kinda mixed the two together :’) I only did a few of my mutuals, but I hope this is what you’re looking for, lovebug! 💓 also, it’s really sweet that you thought of me omg thank you so so much 🥺🥺

@winetae :: ave is that one mom friend who scolds you for going out to a frat party and coming back at like 4 a.m. the next day even though you have a midterm at 9 a.m. but she makes sure to wake you up in time for it and hands you a granola bar, a filled up hydro flask, and some aspirin to take before the exam. she has the cutest outfits all the time with her oversized soft sweaters and pretty floral long skirts, and her instagram is one of those super aesthetic ones with pretty pics of cakes and tea and has like 30k followers, so she’s always up to go with you to the latest trendy place like the dog cafe slash boba bar that just opened up down the street. she’s always put together and probably has like matching rose gold minimalist furniture all around her apartment with lots of plants everywhere and perfectly placed round mirrors on her walls and it all looks so nice and you’d find her place in architecture digest or something until you go to her kitchen and all she has is like...... bread, a pack of ramen, and some wine and cake in her fridge. but it’s ok because her boyfriend jaehyun knows how to cook and he brings over groceries after stopping by the corner store after his last class and he makes her masterchef worthy dishes because it’s what she deserves

@nochanchu :: miss mel is the girl you bump into in the bathroom of the club you’re at to celebrate your friend’s birthday. there’s no other place better for an instant girl bond than there LOL you’re halfway drunk and she’s tipsy as heck, but you notice the super pretty eyeshadow she has on and you compliment her on it, and her eyes light up and she’s telling you the name and brand of it so you scramble to take out your phone to take note of it, and then she notices that you have a picture of a well known place from your hometown as your phone wallpaper, and she’s like hold up pause you’re from there too??? And then the two of you swap stories and favorite restaurants and it’s so funny because out of all the people to meet, you meet someone from back home out here. and you realize she could’ve been one of your friends when you were younger because there were actually so many opportunities where your paths would’ve crossed, but they didn’t— not until now, in a funky, neon lit club bathroom in nyc all because your friends decided on a spontaneous bday trip and because she and her boyfriend hyuck came out here to celebrate their anniversary. you swap numbers with her because she has this to die for restaurant that she wants to recommend, but can’t remember the name of at the moment, and six months later, it becomes the go-to brunch place for you and her on your weekly friend dates :’)

@eggyukhei / @hyoseobie :: tk is the girl you randomly sit next to on the first day of internship training. she’s dressed neatly in a pretty maroon blouse with tori burch flats and looks way more put together than you will ever be. you’re already a day behind on training since the internship started on the day you had your last finals and you were unable to actually go on the first official day. you’re haphazardly pulling out the laptop from the company backpack filled with electronics and other important paperwork that the recruiters handed to you earlier and trying to figure out how to log in. she takes pity on your not too tech savvy self, even though this job is literally in IT, and shows you that your login info is clipped to the front of one of the folders in the company backpack. you make some sort of meme reference as you thank her and are pleasantly surprised when her eyes light up because she understands the meme and even thinks you’re funny. you start discussing other memes excitedly while you both wait for the instructor to begin, and to think, if you never sat next to the girl with the stylish pretty glasses, you wouldn’t have made one of the nicest friends you ever had. bonus: at your out of state weeklong training, some loud intern named yukhei invites you to this bar with all the other interns for $1 shots and you force her to go with you instead of staying in the hotel room and watching anime. he tries to get her to dance with him all night, but she keeps getting distracted by the cute college bartender named doyoung who makes her a shirley temple on the house

@latetaektalk :: linh is the pretty freshman girl in the poetry elective class you decided to take on a whim. it’s a lower division class, so there’s only a few other upperclassmen in here who are taking it as a grade booster. the professor pairs you up for the quarter, and you have to dissect a different assigned poem each week together. you end up meeting on the third floor of the business building every thursday and sit out on the balcony with your laptops and poetry books. during the first week, she texts you if you want anything from the boba shop she’s stopping by beforehand, and soon enough, she’s memorized your order, while you always make sure to bring her a freshly baked chocolate croissant from the cafe on the first floor. by the time you’re finished with each assignment, the sun is setting, and you both always make sure to snap a couple pictures of it for your insta stories. and even after the class is over, the two of you continue with your weekly boba and croissants ritual for the following quarters and during one of your catch up sessions, she tells you about a cute boy named mark that she met in her calculus class :’)

@aqiaquas :: steph is the older, mega cool, way out of your league girl you meet in kyoto, japan when you’re on a backpacking trip around asia with your friends after graduating uni. out of luck or perhaps fate, you’re seated next to her in this hole in the wall sashimi bar that serves the best sake nigiri you’ve ever had in your entire life. you start talking to her as you wait for your sushi to come, and you find out that she’s travelling alone and has been to so many countries all around the world. she tells you amazing stories about her trips to korea, switzerland, china, and her life back home, and you aspire to one day travel as much as she does. the two of you trade phone numbers, and she joins you when you decide to go visit kinkaku-ji and walks through fushimi inari taisha with you until you’re off to the next country with your friends. you continue to keep in touch with her and she sends you postcards from every place she visits with the coolest anecdotes and fun facts she learned about the place, and you carefully pin them all up on your wall amongst your paintings and other knickknacks you collected. and one day, you receive a postcard from her of the gyeongbokgung palace and on the bottom is scribbled: p.s. i met a boy. his name is jeno ♡

#asks #anonymous

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ignis-scientia-estrogen-brigade · 6 years ago

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~ISEB in Japan: A Photo Journal~

If you’ve been following me on Twitter lately, you’ll know that I’ve been traveling through parts of Japan the last couple of weeks with my Ignis Play Arts Kai figure in tow. I posted a few pictures over there during the duration of my trip, but those barely scratched the surface of everything I got to do while in Japan. So I thought I’d put together a blog post of my journey while it was still fresh in my mind, featuring everyone’s favorite strategist in what I’ve been dubbing my Great Final Fantasy XV Adventure of 2019!

[Image-heavy content + commentary under the cut]

A brief backstory: I’ve wanted to go to Japan my entire adult life. For years, I’ve watched friends make the trek while I’ve been stuck at home with a severe case of FOMO. The only thing that ever stopped me from going was money (or a lack thereof), so I made the decision last summer to buckle down and sock away every dime I made to make it happen. My only concern before hopping on the plane was that I had missed the wave of FFXV popularity by about a year, but I would quickly learn that—other than not getting to eat any of Ignis’ recipes at the Square Enix Cafe—I had little to worry about.

Literally the only reason I brought my Play Arts Kai figure was so I could take this picture of Ignis at the Citadel (a.k.a. the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building), which was the very first place I stopped at on my first full day in Tokyo. The building + the surrounding plaza, while not 100% accurate, is a fairly impressive facsimile of the one in the game. It’s located in Shinjuku, which also boasts a lot of similarities to Insomnia. Having finished Episode Ardyn mere hours before jetting off on my trip, it felt like I had stepped off the plane and right into the game!

There just so happened to be an Animate right near the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, so I popped in to get a feel for what kind of FFXV merch I’d be able to find two years after the game’s release and a year after its height of popularity. Turns out, there was quite a lot of swag to be found! Truth be told, I’ve never been one to chase down official merchandise (unfortunately my job doesn’t really afford that luxury), but I gave myself special permission while on vacation to buy anything I wanted. So I did! Including everything you see above. ^^;;

The next thing I did was take the train to Ginza to meet Lyle/@landscape-gonna (@landscape_gonna on Twitter), and I simply cannot say enough nice things about her. If you don’t know who she is, there’s a 99.9% chance you’ve seen at least one of her Ignis costumes, and they are A. M. A. Z. I. N. G. We had chatted a bit previously on Twitter before I went full-on stan mode, asking her if she'd be willing to meet up with me (a total stranger) to have lunch and talk Ignis and Final Fantasy. Not only did she say yes, but she gifted me with copies of her incredible cosplay zines and was not the least embarrassed when I busted out my Play Kai Arts figure in the middle of a busy Japanese dessert restaurant haha.

See? Zero embarrassment here.

We even did Noct’s ultimate pose! In public!

I can’t begin to articulate how special meeting Lyle was for me—being brought together from opposite sides of the world to share in our love for Ignis/FFXV is a memory I will cherish my entire life. So Lyle, if you are reading this: どうもありがとうございます ! ٩( ᐛ )( ᐖ )۶

Lyle wasn't the only friend I had in Japan. Another friend of mine, Asuka (who happens to be well-versed in anime/video game culture), volunteered to be my guide through Ikebukuro/Otome Road the next day. Quick otaku lesson: Kbooks is a chain of stores that specializes in the resale of licensed merchandise. For example, if you missed out on some of the limited availability items from the Movic and the Square Enix Cafe collaborations, you might be able to find them at a Kbooks. Otome Road in particular has something like seven different Kbook shops in a 3-block radius, each one specializing in different products (sports anime, idols, cosplay, etc). I, of course, beelined for the video game shop...

...which is where I found this fucking thing:

I’m not gonna lie, I almost bought it. I just didn’t know what I would do with it besides scare the living daylights out of people when they least expected it lol.

Yoooo Adam I found ya boi in Ikebukuro

We popped into the cosplay Kbooks shop since it was right across the street and I found an Ignis costume for sale! Please enjoy this picture of me pretending to come up with a new recipeh (since this is likely the closest I’ll ever come to cosplaying as Ignis).

One of the things Asuka introduced me to was Hanami (picnic under the cherry blossoms, basically). I had timed my trip to coincide with the blooming of the sakura, and the experience of being in Japan during that time was indescribable. I took a bajillion pictures of the sakura while I was there and unfortunately none of my photos ever quite captured the beauty and magic of them in person, but here’s a lil’ pic of a tree in bloom at Yoyogi Park (with the Movic Ignis charm I bought at Kbooks earlier that day).

Another item on my Japan checklist was to stay at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) in Hakone, a town famous for its onsen/hot springs. Nothing in Hakone is cheap (at least, not during peak sakura season), and I had spent an absurd amount of money on a night at one particular ryokan with a private bath (shy husband haha). The private bath could only be reserved in 30-minute increments, and by the time we finally rolled into Hakone the bath we wanted only had one slot available for the rest of the night. So what did I do?

If you said, “Waste the first 15 minutes of your 30-minute, super-expensive onsen experience taking the perfect Ignis-in-a-hot-springs photo” then you would be absolutely correct lol.

I actually wasn’t planning on taking a bunch of photos of my Ignis figure on this trip, but after my husband tucked Ignis into my futon while I was in the bathroom, documenting my trip vicariously through Ignis ended up taking on a life of its own. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I popped back over to Tokyo after my stay in Hakone, which is when I finally got to make the Great Nerd Pilgrimage™ to the Square Enix Cafe! Had the FFXV collab been going on while I was there, I might’ve forked over the cash to eat at the cafe, but I opted to skip out on lunch so I could spend more money in their shop. They still had a small collection of FFXV merch...

...including this acrylic Ignis stand that I wanted but thought I would never own after failing to find it at Kbooks earlier in the week. Huzzah!

Also, I just feel the need to let everyone know that this is what the outside of the Square Enix Cafe in Tokyo looks like lmao.

Our next stop was Kyoto, which we arrived in on Gladio’s birthday (April 2nd). Unfortunately I didn’t have time to draw anything for his b-day, but we did stop for a Nissin Cup Noodle in honor of Gladio!

One of the most memorable moments of my trip was when this boating incident happened, and it requires a little bit of backstory. On my first full day in Kyoto, I attempted to field two of the most popular tourist destinations in Kyoto: the bamboo forest in Arashiyama, and the Fushimi Inari Shrine. Both places have their beauty and historical significance, and I suspect during the off-season are inspiring sites to behold. In my case, both places were absolutely swarming with tourists, which really put a damper on my enjoyment of them. Defeated, I followed a local canal back toward my hotel, which is where I spotted a miniature boat enthusiast controlling a boat that looked eerily similar to the Royal Vessel. I pulled my Ignis figure out with the intention of simply taking a photo of the boat in the background; when the man saw me holding my figure and fumbling with my phone, he flagged me over and gestured for me to put Ignis in the boat. I wish I had documented how it all went down a little better, but as I was literally wheezing with laughter, the above was the best I could capture.

One of the more off-the-cuff decision I made was to dress in kimono for a day while in Gion (Kyoto). As the cherry blossoms were at their height during my stay there, you couldn’t sneeze without hitting someone who was dressed traditionally for the numerous festivals that were taking place throughout the city. As a white foreigner, I initially had reservations about wearing a kimono (for fear of cultural appropriation), but I did everything I could to be as respectful and reverent whilst wearing the garb (and the rental shop was certainly happy for the patronage). It was an amazing experience and I would definitely do it again!

Speaking of being respectful, I made it a point not to take pictures of Ignis while visiting any shrines (because nothing screams ‘douchey American’ quite like whipping out an action figure on sacred grounds), hence why I don’t have pictures of any of the major shrines we visited in this post. I did, however, spot this miniature shrine arch in an alleyway, and thought it would be okay for my equally miniature strategist to pay his respects.

Literally, a tiny shrine in an alleyway. I suppose even alleys have their deities!

Osaka is about 20 minutes away from Kyoto by train, and since I had already traveled all the way out to Kyoto, I went the extra few miles to stop by the Square Enix Cafe in Osaka. They actually had a smaller selection of FFXV merch than the one in Tokyo and I didn’t end up buying anything, but I would’ve never stopped wondering if I had missed out on something if I hadn’t gone and seen it for myself!

My last day in Kyoto was a week into my trip, and I still had five days left to go. After walking ~10 miles every day (no joke, I have the GPS screenshots to prove it!), I was really starting to feel the grind. I’m sure Ignis was also desperate for an Ebony after being lugged around in the bottom of my purse for a week lol.

Back on the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Tokyo!

Weeeeeee (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

Said hi to Fuji-san!

Stopped for a delicious matcha parfait! (Shout-out to my husband who never once got annoyed with me whenever I busted out my figure in public spaces lol)

This was without a doubt the craziest and most unexpected find of any of my merch runs. I had gone to the video game Kbooks in Ikebukuro earlier in the week and had sifted through all their Ignis merch with a fine-toothed comb. This particular Movic charm was one I had been on the lookout for, but it was a rare pull even when they were readily available a year ago, and the only Ignis charm I came across in my first trip to Kbooks was the normal Ignis one (see my Hanami pic). I had no real reason to return to Ikebukuro after I got back from Kyoto, but on a whim I went one last time and BAM—this guy was hanging out there in his lil’ baggie, just waiting for me to get my grubby little hands on him. Jackpot!

All in all, I spent way too much money and I couldn’t be happier for it. The only thing I couldn’t find for the life of me was the Ignis cologne by Movic, but after searching through several Animates and Kbooks, I began to suspect it might be an online-exclusive item that wasn’t available in stores. (Which was probably a good thing for me cause I was already stretching my budget to the limit by this point haha.)

On my last night in Japan, I went back to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building—only this time I went at night when it was all lit up! I also went up to the observation deck on the 45th floor (something I didn’t know you could do the first time I was there) and enjoyed a fantastic view of nighttime Insomnia Tokyo. It was the perfect bookend to a perfect trip, and my heart is absolutely overflowing right now with love for both Japan and Final Fantasy XV!

#final fantasy xv #ignis scientia #ffxv

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ghosthunthq · 6 years ago

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Memento (Part 1 of 2)

For: @seoulsborne123

By: @csakuras

——

The trees on the mountain path shimmered with morning dew. Gene passed through a row of red-orange torii gates lining the path, so dense that they practically made a vermillion tunnel.

Fushimi Inari Taisha. He had come here first thing in the morning, to beat the crowds and the heat. Gradually, he made his way up the mountain, snapping pictures now and then.

It was like he’d entered a different world. He could sense it, in the trees, in the shrines, in the thousands of torii gates. This was sacred ground.

This place is fantastic, Gene thought. You’re really missing out, Noll. Told you you should’ve come.

He knew his thoughts would not reach their intended recipient. Their abilities had weakened enough by now that their telepathic link no longer stretched across oceans. And yet, throughout his trip, Gene kept trying. Maybe it was just habit. He’d grown used to the fact that, no matter where he went— even when he was alone— he would always be able to reach his brother.

Which meant this was one of the few times in his life that Gene was truly alone.

On one hand, it was liberating. Being able to go anywhere and do anything he liked without anyone to caution or complain. But now, nearly a week into his trip, he was starting to realize just how isolating that could be too.

After making his way through another tunnel of torii, Gene stopped by a small shrine to catch his breath. The hike was tougher than he’d anticipated, and the humidity didn’t help. He sat on a mossy rock and sipped from his bottle of tea.

He sensed it before he saw it. A familiar tingle up his spine. He turned to his left, just in time to see it appear from behind a tree.

A white fox. Said to be the messengers of the Inari Okami, he had seen many statues of them along the way, many of them holding keys in their mouths. This fox didn’t look quite as fearsome; actually, it looked downright adorable.

“Hey, there,” Gene said. “Come to check on me?”

The fox stood still, staring at him.

“I’m no threat, I swear. Just visiting.” He gave it a disarming smile, and a short bow for good measure.

It sat, tilting its head curiously at him.

Slowly, Gene set down his bottle of tea and raised his digital camera, getting the fox into frame.

“Shhh…just hold still a second, okay?”

Briefly, he wondered if this might be considered disrespectful. Well…hopefully he wouldn’t be cursed afterwards.

The camera clicked, and the picture was taken. The fox didn’t seem perturbed; it merely stood and wandered away, having seemingly lost interest, and disappeared in a sunbeam.

Gene looked at the preview screen of his camera. There was no sign of the fox anywhere in the picture, even when he zoomed in. No smudge of light or anything. Just background scenery.

He smiled wryly. Gene knew that a camera couldn’t capture everything that he saw. Not even SPR’s high tech cameras could do that.

It was a shame. Noll might have actually liked to see this one.

The main reason for this trip was a client’s request, of course. And some research on the side. But also, Gene had hoped to visit his ethnic homeland someday, so he had been grateful for the opportunity.

Their ethnic homeland. Unfortunately, Noll hadn’t been interested enough to join him. But Gene still wished he could share what it was like. In one form or another…

——

It was on the weekend after the Agawa case. Mai brought Naru tea in his office as usual, but instead of leaving right away, she spoke up.

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you something. I mean, I would’ve told you when you first came back, but we had that case… Anyway, Mori-san already approved it, but since you’re my boss, you should know too.”

Naru sipped at his tea. “Please get to the point.”

“I won’t be here next weekend.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

Mai grinned. “That’s right, this time I’m the one going on a trip! To Kyoto!”

He stared at her, looking a bit lost.

She took a moment to enjoy that rare look on his face before explaining. “It’s my school trip. Do you have those in England? My whole class is going for a few days.”

Understanding dawned in his expression. “I see.” Then he nodded. “I will make note of it.”

“Come to think of it, you went to Kyoto too, right? A little after I started working here? How was it?”

“Hot.”

She waited for him to continue, but that seemed to be all he had to say about it.

Then again, he didn’t exactly go there to sightsee, did he? He had gone to search for Gene…

“Wait, does that mean Gene went to Kyoto too?”

Naru nodded. “I’d been retracing Gene’s steps during his trip, and learned that he had gone there to meet with a spiritualist. As far as I know, the man was one of the last people to have spoken with him before the accident. I went to ask if he had any idea where Gene had planned on going next.”

“Did he know?”

“No. It seemed they only discussed mediumship or trivial matters. If it had gone that easily, I would have found him much sooner.” Naru sighed.

And then, within only a few short months of them meeting, Naru would have left. And Mai would have never found out anything— about Naru’s identity, why he was here, or…about Gene. Selfish as it was, she was almost glad that things played out the way they did.

“Hey…” she began, hesitantly. “Do you think I could meet with that spiritualist too?”

Naru frowned. “Meet him? Why?”

“I guess…I’m just curious. Maybe if I talk to him, I could find out where Gene visited in Kyoto. I could see the same things, walk the same places…and stuff.” She blushed and shook her head. “N-nevermind, it’s stupid. You wouldn’t understand anyway.”

She took her tray and quickly exited his office.

What was she thinking? There was no use trying to explain something so sentimental to him. As if he’d even care.

——

Later that afternoon, John dropped by the office for a quick visit. Mai welcomed him eagerly; she had been hoping they could talk.

“Hey John, you lived in Kansai for a while, right? Do you have any recommendations for places to visit?”

John did indeed have a few recommendations, beyond just the usual tourist sites too. Mai took notes, nodding with excitement.

But partway through, the door to Naru’s office opened, and he poked his head out.

“Mai. Bring me a large trash bag.”

“Huh? Right now?”

“Yes, right now.”

She pouted.

John gave her an understanding smile and whispered, “We can talk again later, Mai-san.”

She sighed. “Sorry.”

Grumbling, she found a trash bag and took it to Naru’s office. “Here, I got you the—” she stopped.

A heap of maps, travel guides, notebooks, and paper was piled on top of Naru’s desk. As she watched, he rummaged through a desk drawer, pulling out another handful to add to the pile.

“Bring it here,” he said.

She closed the door behind her and walked up to the desk. “Don’t tell me…you’re throwing all this away?!”

“I found Gene. I don’t need them anymore.”

“That’s true, but…you should at least sort them for recycling!”

“Then I’ll leave that to you.”

Mai groaned. She just had to create more work for herself.

Having cleaned out his drawers, Naru sat on the edge of his desk, sifting through the pile. He gave each item a cursory glance before tossing it into the trash bag she held open for him.

This might take a while. She was tempted to just leave the bag with him and return to her conversation with John, but since Naru hadn’t dismissed her yet, she decided to stay for now.

Besides, she was curious what had spurred on this sudden cleaning spree. It had to be what they talked about earlier, right?

“I kinda forgot you still had all this stuff,” she admitted.

“Yes, well, I didn’t have time to throw them out before I left for England, and I didn’t have time when I came back, as someone immediately forced me to take on a case.”

Jeez, he was still holding a grudge about that?

Mai peered inside the trash bag. “You know…this stuff has been here since before I began working at the office. It feels weird to see it all go away. Like it’s the end of an era…”

She thought back to all those times she caught Naru in the office, pouring over maps. She used to think it was just a weird hobby. But she should have suspected; that look of concentration he had while tracing his finger over roads, mountains, lakes…she should have known the reason couldn’t be so frivolous as that.

Naru tossed several travel books, clicking his tongue. “Madoka had plenty of time while she was here,” he muttered. “She could have cleaned this out herself.”

“She probably thought you’d complain about her touching your stuff,” Mai sniffed. “Besides, she was busy. Actually teaching me stuff.”

He frowned. “…She never cleaned Gene’s desk either.”

Now this got her attention. “Gene’s desk?”

“At the Pratt Laboratory. I didn’t get around to cleaning it before I left for Japan, as I had too many other things to worry about. But I assumed Madoka would do it eventually. And yet when I returned, after the funeral, I found it exactly the way it was two years ago.” He shook his head. “Ridiculous.”

Mai gulped. If she were in his position, coming back to see that desk unchanged after all that time would have felt like a punch in the gut. “So…you cleaned it out yourself?”

“What little there was to clean, yes. It was mostly odd scraps of paper he had doodled on. He was active in the field, but the rest of us generally took care of the paperwork.”

She bit her lip. Now she felt torn. It seemed like such a waste. Gene would never put pen to paper again. To her, even little doodles would be priceless.

“But…if there wasn’t even that much stuff, it couldn’t have hurt to just leave it that way, right? Did you even need the space?”

“That is not the point.”

She looked at him, inviting him to explain.

He sighed. “My parents are free to preserve Gene’s bedroom as they wish. But we don’t need a shrine in the workplace as well.”

There was something about the way he said that. Not quite annoyance, more like…a deep discomfort. It made her hesitate. But at the same time, the dismissiveness of his words bothered her.

“And why do you get to decide that? Gene was an important member of Mori-san’s team, right? Are you saying her feelings don’t count, just because she’s not family?”

Naru paused. “…Even so, it’s been two years.”

“You don’t get to decide how long it takes!”

“It’s just paper.”

“Maybe to you, it is. That doesn’t mean you have to remove everything that reminds you of him!”

She had been wondering for a while. Why exactly Naru decided to return to Japan. He said it was for research, and that might really be all it was. But she also wouldn’t be surprised if he was just running from something.

“Is that what you think I’m doing?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Isn’t it?”

A bitter smile crossed his face. “I see his face every time I look in the mirror. What other reminder do I need?”

Mai shut her mouth. She couldn’t argue against that.

An awkward silence passed. Naru lowered his gaze back to the notebook in his hands, flipping through the pages. Mai looked away.

When he finished flipping through the notebook, Naru tossed it in the trash and picked up another map. “Okinawa,” he said, looking at it with disgust. “He made me go to Okinawa.” This also went in the trash.

Mai rolled her eyes. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

“I never intended to come to Japan in the first place. But he ended up dragging me here after all.”

“He didn’t drag you, Naru. Complain all you want, but no one forced you to come here. You made a choice.”

He scoffed. “The only other choice was to leave things to the incompetent police. He would have never been found.”

“But he was. Thanks to you.”

That was one thing she could say in his favor. Whatever his reasons— whether out of brotherly love, or merely because he wanted to dissect his brother’s brain— despite all the odds, Naru didn’t give up. She could admire that level of dedication.

And now, this clearing of the past seemed to signal a new start. His life had been in stasis for nearly two years, devoted to the search. Now, he could finally live for himself again. So, did that mean…that this time, he was here because he actually wanted to be?

Mai glanced at him. Maybe that was just wishful thinking. But it would be nice, if that were the case.

Minutes later, Naru was flipping through another notebook, when he stopped to tear a sheet out of it.

“Here.” He held it out to her.

“Huh?” She took the paper. “What’s this?” On it was a name, written in romaji, and a phone number.

“The man I met in Kyoto.”

She gasped and looked at him in surprise. “You found it for me?”

“It turned up while I was cleaning. It’s going in the trash anyway, I don’t care if you feel like salvaging it.”

“Uh-huh.” She wasn’t entirely sure she believed that excuse. Mai turned back to the paper and read the name out slowly. “Suzuki…Akitarou?”

“I’m surprised you could read that much,” Naru smirked.

Mai glared at him over the sheet of paper. “What’s the kanji?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Pfft. Even if you could, I bet you couldn’t write it.” Mai grinned, in better spirits now. “So I should just give him a call, ask if we could meet? Can I tell him I work for SPR?”

“Yes. He might be more willing to see you if you mention my name.”

“Which name?”

There it was. The ‘Are you an idiot?’ look. “Oliver Davis, obviously.”

“Well sorry. How was I supposed to know you didn’t introduce yourself as Shibuya Kazuya?”

He sighed. “It doesn’t take more than two brain cells to figure out that if I went asking about my identical twin named Eugene Davis, using an alias would be pointless.”

“My bad. It’s just that you have sooo many names, it’s enough to confuse a girl.”

“I have, at most, three.”

“Not counting nicknames, you mean.” She laughed, and waved the piece of paper. “But thanks, Naru. I appreciate it.”

#Ghost Hunt #GHW2019 #Naru #Oliver Davis #Mai Taniyama #csakuras #seoulsborne123 #submission

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asterinjapan · 6 years ago

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Of gardens and animals

Good afternoon!

Well, five PM is still noon, right?

Anyway, a little earlier today, but I still managed to see quite a lot. Since tomorrow is Disney day, I’m not sure if I’ll still go out tonight or if I’ll just get some dinner and call it a day, but I have some time to think about it still. In the mean while, here’s my report for today!

I cheered at breakfast as they had scrambled egg (which works much better with my stomach), so I could have a pretty filling breakfast, whoo! After that, I grabbed my things and made my way to the station. This time, my goal was the subway: I took the Yurakucho line to Iidabashi station, which was just ten minutes.

A short walk away is a garden called Koishikawa Korakuen. It’s one of the oldest gardens in Tokyo as it was completed during the Edo era (1600-1868), more specifically in the 17th century, with Chinese influences. Like many Japanese gardens, this garden has reproductions of famous Japanese (and in this case also Chinese) scenery, like with miniature hills and bridges. There are several bridges and small rivers named after bridges and rivers I’ve seen in Kyoto, for example.

Koishikawa Korakuen is actually very central, close to the Tokyo Dome and an amusement park ( you can see the white dome and the top of a rollercoaster from the garden). And it was a whole lot bigger than I somehow thought, haha. I think I compared it to another garden on the map and didn’t realize the proper scale. Anyway! Most Japanese gardens have something special depending on the season, as the Japanese like to pride their country on having four very different seasons. Cherry blossoms in spring are famous, but the fall leaves are almost just as popular, and it can get super busy in the popular spots when the autumn leaves reach their brightest colours.

The maple trees here had dropped almost all their leaves, but I still found an area that was a vibrant red and yellow, making for very spectacular views as the sun was shining bright today. The tree tops looked to be on fire. I took a ton of pictures and then found out I’d only covered a quarter of the garden, at best, haha.

Overall, I took almost 3 hours trailing through the garden, and even then I rushed some parts because the trees were completely barren in that area. Whoa! It was also interesting to see some of the trees (like the weeping cherry blossom tree and the trees in the inner garden) protected against the winter weather. Some have straw belts, but the cherry blossom tree has a straw cape: straw ropes are suspended from a central pole to protect the tree from snow, in the process drawing out a very basic Christmas tree shape, haha.

Anyway! Two breaks in the garden later (I had some amazake – sweet sake, although this was non-alcoholic), I made my way back to the station again to take the Namboku subway line this time. Of course, it first went past a station called Korakuen… Oops. Oh well, the next stop was where I was getting off anyway, and riding the subway for just 2 stops sounds slightly less pathetic than for one whole stop.

The stop is Todaimae, ‘in front of Tokyo University’. No, I haven’t signed up for classes, there’s a statue here that I wanted to pay a short visit.

You see, you’re probably familiar with the statue of Hachiko – if only because I post a picture of it every trip without fail, ahem. In case you forgot the story: Hachiko was a dog who always came to pick up his master, professor Ueno, at Shibuya station after work. One day, he didn’t return anymore as he’d had a heart attack at work and died there. Hachiko kept coming to the station for the ten years after, until his own passing. Touched by the dog’s loyalty, a statue was erected at Shibuya station as early as 1934 (when Hachiko was still alive!). The bronze was molten for the war efforts, so in 1948, a new statue was placed in the same spot, where it remains a popular meet-up spot to this day. In 2015, 80 years after Hachiko passed, a new statue was erected at Tokyo University: one of Hachiko happily reuniting with his master. Excuse me, I have something in my eye all of a sudden…

Anyway! The statue is actually super close to Todaimae station. I was fully prepared for a long search, but nope. Just walked out the street, found the entrance gate, and bam! There was the statue. It’s amidst some trees, but the sun was hitting it completely today, so I took pictures from every angle.

It was a short stop regardless – when I made it back to the station, I think I may have missed one subway at the most, ahem. I wasn’t done with the Namboku line, though, as I rode it a couple of stations further to Oji.

Oji (technically Ôji, a long o sound) is mostly famous for the Oji Fox Parade, which is held on New Year’s Eve. It’s a bit early for that, but foxes are still very present in Oji, at least in its shrines. Foxes (or fox spirits, more accurately - kitsune) are depicted in Asian and Japanese folklore as tricksters with magical powers (usually shapeshifting into beautiful women), but also as sacred creatures that can be a good or a bad omen, and they’re messengers of the gods. In Japan, they’re mostly associated with Inari, the god of rice and business among other things. There’s a lot of Inari shrines in Japan, most famously in Kyoto, the Fushimi Inari shrine with its many red gates. Numerous red gates in a row are usually a good tell if a shrine is dedicated to Inari, as well as the presence of fox statues.

Of course, Oji has several shrines with most of them featuring foxes, so I did 3 of them today. I started with the Oji shrine, which is close to the station and is also on a hill right next to dried out waterworks. It was a very lovely and unexpectedly rural scenery, so I sat down on a nearby rock to have lunch and enjoy the view. (My lunch was way too cute to eat by the way, I had melon bread shaped like a turtle.)

After that, I walked up the stairs to visit Oji shrine. The complex isn’t very big, but it’s one of the oldest shrines in Tokyo and supposedly grants protection against fires and natural disasters, making it a popular shrine for a new year’s visit. Not a lot of foxes to be spotted here yet, but there is a huge Ginkgo tree here which is said to be 600 years old! Whoa. It sure was big, anyway.

Next up, I took a little stroll to Oji Inari shrine. As expected with Inari in its name, there are more fox statues here, guarding the grounds and the small shrines at the complex. There’s indeed a pathway of several red gates, and then you find an Oishi-sama, or a ‘wish granting rock’ inside one of them. The story goes that if you can lift it, your wish will come true. The plaque next to it stated that if it is hard to lift, it’s a wish that can’t be easily fulfilled, so apparently this stone can change its weight depending on your wish. I gave it a go and barely managed to lift the rock, but I did it! (Hey, it’s a huge rock and I had two bags slung around my shoulder too, give me some credit.)

Interestingly, this shrine is not only in the middle of a normal neighbourhood, there’s actually a primary school in its backyard. Literally, even – one of the gates was closed, but led right into the playground, and the area around the shrine was in use as a bike park for all the mothers who went to pick up their kids. Huh.

The last stop of today was Shozoku Inari shrine, although not before going through an underground pass decorated with foxes, haha. According to legend, blue fires were spotted on New Year’s eve under a tree that used to stand here, said to be kitsunebi (fox fire) from foxes gathering from all over the country. The Fox Parade starts here every year due to this legend.

The shrine is tiny, but it’s very detailed and has some very elegant fox statues. I took my time (I was alone here anyway) and made a small prayer (if only to ward off any cheeky foxes, haha) before I decided to leave Oji again for today.

A quick hop to Tabata station and another quick hop to Ikebukuro brought me back to my hotel, so here I am! As said, tomorrow is Disneyland, so I’m not sure if I’ll go out anymore tonight. There’s some lovely winter illuminations still to see, like in Shibuya ,but I don’t want to ruin my feet before tomorrow, haha. Oh well, they’re not gone yet, so maybe another day if I can’t make it tonight.

For now, good evening and see you tomorrow! I suspect it’ll be late, haha.

#report #report: tokyo 2018 #tokyo 2018

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angevon · 7 years ago

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Travel Report Part 6

Kyoto!

(looooooots of pictures in this one!)

[part 1/part 2/part 3/part 4/part 5]

We woke up bright and early because the blinding light through the apartment’s window. But an early start to the day was good! We hadn't made reservations on the Shinkansen to go to Kyoto so we were worried about getting a seat. Earlier is better for this, right?

Turns out not many people were heading towards Kyoto at this time.

We bought a breakfast of ready-made sandwiches at a conbini at Shin-Osaka Station, and ate it on the train. It’s only ~15 minutes from Osaka by the Shinkansen anyway.

Kyoto station is huge. We’d planned to follow the Eastern Kyoto travel guide on japan-guide, so we had to find a way to get to Ginkakuji. Unfortunately, it requires using a bus, and the buses were densely packed. My brother had to stand for 40 minutes smushed in the back of the bus while it took us there.

The one good thing is that you can pay the bus fare by swiping the IC card, so at least we didn’t have to mess with money on the bus.

The path to Ginkakuji has this river/ditch with cherry trees on either side. We were 1 day late for the peak season, but there were a few still blooming.

We didn’t really know where or what Ginkakuji was, so we just followed everyone else through this very touristy alleyway.

I guess we found it.

There’s a path back there with a bamboo forest hiding behind some bushes.

It costs 500 yen (approx $5 USD) to get into the place proper, but I think it was worth it. It felt very otherworldly.

(and this is where Pearl broke that vase in AA2... kidding)

The ground looks like a miniature forest.

View from the top.

And that’s about it. There are guided tours to go within some of the buildings but we decided not to. Beautiful garden though!

We returned to the ditch river, seeking the Philosopher’s Path, and found a big fish!

The cherry blossoms that fell into the river ditch piled up here. It was very pretty.

It almost looked like you could walk over them.

Anyway, you’re supposed to just follow the signs to the Philosopher’s Path. We didn’t see any signs, so we just kinda walked towards the next place via google maps.

On the way, we found a little river walk.

We’re lost...

We followed google maps and eventually found Nanzenji.

There’s a place you can burn incense at. I looked at this and left because I didn’t want to make a fool of myself by getting the rites wrong haha

Nearby is this cool old aqueduct that’s still in service today!

You can go on top of them... if you can survive the murder stairs(tm).

It turns out, you can follow the aqueduct all the way to Keage Incline, the next location.

There’s a water facility of some sort at the end.

We got worried we weren’t allowed past it, but don’t worry, there’s a walkway around it.

The Keagle Incline is basically a slope along some old out-of-service train tracks. It’s probably more impressive during the height of the cherry blossoms. As it was, it was difficult to walk down. The steps are far apart and very rocky since it used to be train tracks. I don’t really recommend going down this way. I think there is another path alongside it.

(though, someone was getting married at the end, and that was cute to see)

At the end, there’s this river. Japan guide says the Heian Shrine is nearby, just look for the big red gate. At this time, we didn’t see anything like a gate. The other side of this river is the zoo. We were very tired of walking at this point. That slope was a doozy.

And we were also very thirsty. There aren’t any drinking fountains and no one brings water bottles. I guess it’s a cultural thing but all I can think is how dehydrated Japanese people must be at all times haha. So, this is why vending machines are so common.

PSA: make sure to bring drink money for the vending machines. I recommend the Pocari Sweat, it’s basically Japanese Powerade and good after all that sweating you’re doing walking around so much. I wouldn’t say the taste is good, exactly, but it’s unique and I kept buying more anyway.

Anyway keep following the damn river and you can’t miss the gates.

The Heian Shrine is very pretty.

There’s sand inside and you can buy fortunes to tie to the fortune rack thing. We didn’t really do much here because by this point we were tired, thirsty, and hungry all at once haha

There’s a 7-eleven back by the river and I bought a ready-made chicken gratin. They cooked it for me too. (the lady just asked “Cooked?” in English and I nodded and that was that)

We discovered here that pigeons live by the buddy system. They’re always in pairs. They’re also very brave, coming up to you and blinking soulfully trying to convince you to feed them.

I’m not 100% sure what this place is. We took one look a the stairs and went “no”

You can get rickshaw rides. Gotta admit it was tempting...!

No idea what this is either! We were just looking for the way to Kiyomizudera now.

We found more murder stairs(tm)...

At the top was Kodaiji, which we really found by accident via Google maps. It just labeled it as “Buddhist Temple.” We also started seeing more and more people dressed in kimono. It turns out you can rent one so a lot of people were doing that.

Not too far from there was this, whatever it is!

It turns out Kiyomizudera is like way at the top of a hill and it’s a hell of a climb.

You have to go through a market area (marketed towards tourists, of course). one of the stalls was selling these cute little bikes.

We made it...

We were incredibly thirsty at this point and there was no drinkable water at all. The bathrooms have a sign saying not to drink from the sinks. It was also very busy and honestly, we were not in a very good mood so it just wasn’t very fun. So, we headed back down.

But I really wanted to see the Fushimi Inari Taisha, and as we walked back down, I thought of how we could see it. We could return tomorrow... but there’s still time today... We found a train station and made our way there.

It was starting to get dark and rainy at this point, so we headed back to the train station. We shared a chicken croquette which was alright but my brother ordered it without sauce so it was kind of dry.

Cat cafe by the Inari train station!

At this point we were like “now what? it’s too early to go back to the apartment.”

So I was like... well... I did bookmark the two Lashinbangs in Kyoto on Google maps... we could go to them... and my brother, bless him, didn’t mind at all.

The first Lashinbang was supposedly near Kyoto station, which is great because at least we have the station as a landmark. We followed google maps and it led us to a large multifloor building called Kyoto Avanti. Entering it, there were no signs of a Lashinbang, but there was a sign saying there was an Animate upstairs, so my brother and I kinda shrugged and headed on up there.

On the escalator we saw the floor guide and it said “comics and subculture” was on 6th floor. Turns out, this included the Lashinbang too. I’m still not sure why Animate had a sign and Lashinbang didn’t but whatever we found it :)

The other one took a subway ride and a bit of walking. It was dark out by this point and slightly raining but we were determined (or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that I was determined).

anyway tl;dr it was worth it for more stuff by mami :> (and that Crazy Cat Lover is for Grumbles)

We stopped at a Book Off on the way back and I picked up Pokemon Black in Japanese. It’s my favorite Pokemon game so it’ll hopefully be fun to try and learn Japanese by replaying it.

We didn’t end up eating anything for dinner this night. We were mostly dehydrated so we drank tons of water when we got back to the apartment.

#angevon's posts #photoset #no food pics in this one #but lots of flowers and temples and stuff!#slash bl

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astormyjet · 7 years ago

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July 19th 2017 - January 7th 2018. Summer, Autumn and the start of 2018.

Ho boy. I have been useless at keeping this updated. Things got super busy with RA, working with the kids and just generally getting out and doing more, rather than being a shut in. I lie. I’ve been studying Japanese, doing more outside of school socially and sportingly AND playing more video games. But either way, I haven’t been chronicling my time here as much as I used to.

Ok, so summer. I went to Tokyo for a holiday some time in July/early August. I met up with Maya, one of the cool kids from up north that had actually contacted me about JET stuff before they got here the year after I did, I also met one of my sempai, who actually taught as an ALT alongside my Uni Japanese Uni friend who came to visit me in January last year. So that was a hilarious twist of fate. Tokyo was A plus as per usual, but I don’t see myself living there in the future. Too expensive, too busy. Too many people.

After getting back to Matsuyama, the new ALTs came. They’re all fab. Some of us oldies and a bunch of the newbies play DnD together now, so that’s taking some of my weekends.

When they first got here, Miriam (the other RA) and myself organised a beach welcome party, we made a kick ass sand castle inspired by Matsuyama castle. We then destroyed it with a big rock. We also beat the crap out of a watermellon on the beach while blindfolded in an attempt to recreate an “authentic beach experience”. Basically in their first couple of weeks, RA duties saw Miriam and I making sure they were settling in all good and running/presenting at Ehime Orientation alongside the other RAs and the PAs. That was both fun, challenging and terrifying.

Junior High sports day was in September. I jumped in on the white team, or rather the white teams 3rd years basically yanked me into their tent and told me I was their cheerleader, they even got me up doing their chant and dance. I love them all so much. They’re such genki, kind and hard working kids. It’s going to be hard for the last few months of teaching at my base school after they all graduate in March. I’ll have to change schools in August most likely as that is what happens here in Matsuyama to fourth year JETs. It’s probably time for a change, but with the new changes rolling out at Elementary school, I’m seriously concerned about the future of the JET Programme in Matsuyama...side note...our BOE still has no idea how they’re shuffling the new classes at ES 3rd and 4th grade is going to work...when everywhere else on the island had that sorted out last year.....argh.

Halloween itself was pretty rough for me and a couple of my students. Along the route I bike to school, there is a few bridges with pretty high drops. From the hospital near my house to one of said bridges an ambulance and a police car kept pace (in early morning traffic) with me. By the time we got there, there were already a bunch of police cars and a group of the local community standing on the bridge pretty somberly. I made the mistake of looking down into the river and there was a guy who’d jumped.

My students were standing nearby and one of the community members suggested that the four of us walk to school with the kids, so we did. It was pretty bleak, the kids weren’t really sure how to process it, neither was I to be honest, but I’ve been in a similar situation a couple of times with friends at Uni so I think that kind of helped me talk through some of what was happening with them. We got to school, informed the principal of what had happened and then the day went on as per usual.

Suicide here is a pretty big issue, luckily for the students and community it turns out the guy was from elsewhere in Matsuyama so it’s impact wasn’t as strongly felt in the community. The community has made efforts to reach out and support the family of the victim and the kids who saw the aftermath are being looked after as well. Thank god.

I am a little bit worried about how they’re going to react to the whole Logan Paul thing that’s happened recently, and I am incredibly worried about who is going to be at school and who isn’t come the new term, as that is when youth suicide rises, but there’s very little one can do about stuff like that except keep an eye out for and support those who might be dealing with mental health issues.

On a lighter note, Matsuyama Autumn Festival in October was fun as usual. I made my way down to my school block area and joined in with the community there. The shrines were beautiful, I saw a dragon/lion dance for the first time in real life. I got to hang out with a bunch of my students and their families and generally just put myself out into the community down there which has opened some pretty cool doors for me.

In October, Miriam and I were also in charge of sorting out the yearly Halloween Orphanage visit for the Chuyo region. It was stressful, but rewarding. The kids at the home are all getting so big! I really feel for the staff who take care of them, there’s so many. This year they actually provided costumes for the kids to wear, and boy did that go down a treat. We had a good time. The Christmas visit went along in a similar fashion. Stressful, difficult to co-ordinate, but we all survived.

Skills Development Conference happened at the start of December, it was as per usual, not fantastic. Basically the workshops were more of the same and the speaker this year was bloody useless. Japan is so frustrating in respect to educational change, despite how many JTEs and ALTs ask and suggest changes or improvements, it’s basically screaming into the void.

After the last day of school, I ended up going to Osaka for Christmas break. I left on the 26th December and came back on the 30th. In that time I spent my first day up in Kyoto, where I hiked Mt. Inari in the snow...it was pretty cool. Figuratively and literally. The shrine, Fushimi-Inari Shirine and the tori gates are a lot more beautiful than photos can capture. It’s eerie and quiet, but it’s also a peaceful place, if you go earlier on in the day, like before 9am as due to it being a tourist hot-spot, it gets busy fast. In Osaka I went to Nipponbashi and then a bunch of the surrounding places. I didn’t do as much shopping as I thought I would, but that meant I had a bunch more money to spend at USJ.

USJ was unreal. I loved the Harry Potter world portion and was impressed by the Spiderman ride as well as a couple of the other smaller attractions. I avoided the Minion theme park like the plague, but probably would go if I go again and it’s still there. I also went to Osaka castle, but the museum portion was closed due to it being New-year break fro Japan, so next time. I also went to a cat cafe called Mocha which was really clean, relaxing and the cats were super well cared for. I saw the staff grooming the cats and cleaning the room while I was there, so they’re on to it. I also went to an owl cafe. I got pooped on. Apparently it’s lucky. The owls again were well looked after and the staff were on top of the animals welfare. Basically I had a blast in Osaka and have some ideas of what I want to do with my partner when they come over in May. Yay!

On the 31st I climbed up the Shiroyama-park hill to Matsuyama castle and watched the last sunset of the year. It was pretty lackluster, but it was a nice way to end the year. I spent the rest of the evening curled up in my room with the heat on and watching Kohaku uta gassen. 2017 wasn’t a bad year for me, it was just an average year. I think now that I am a little more established in Japan, but coming towards the end of my time on JET (only 2 more years! CRIKEY), I’m starting to think about, and panic a little, the future. Like I have no idea what to do after this, but I know I want to stay abroad, but weather that is in Japan, England or Canada, I don’t know. I don’t know if I want to go back into study, or if I want to stick to doing odd jobs with my somewhat useless BA in English, Linguistics and TESOL Minor. I enjoy teaching, and I enjoy working with kids and young adults, learning from them and encouraging them to reach their goals, but I don’t know if I can find a good, stable job with my current qualifications.

On New Years day I went to the big mall and lined up for lucky bags, I got the Pokemon Center one. I was stoaked, as initially I’d been in the wrong line, but 10 minutes before the doors opened I saw the right one, jumped in and managed to get one of the last bags!!! I also went and bought new running shoes and a Nintendo 3DS for an early birthday present.

On my actual birthday, I went to work, hung out with the Volleyball kids, the table tennis kids and made paper cranes for the kids graduation in March. I then came home, ordered Pizza and spent the evening on my DS and PC gaming. It was nice.

I haven’t made my New Years resolutions yet, but I think I’m going to do something similar to what I did last year and write a list of 25 things to do before I am 26. I got about 20 out of 25 things done last year, so I’ll carry over the five I didn’t manage. I have my first shot at my Karate Blackbelt on Wednesday, I don’t think I’ll pass this time around (dammit, why are test fees so expensive), but I think that getting it by the end of the year is on my list. Along with JLPT N3.

I signed my re-contracting paper before I went away, so I am definitely here until August 2019. I’m equal parts excited for the changes in the Elementary school English Education, and dreading how poorly our BOE has been planning it out. But we’ll just have to see. Until next time, this has been Kai, the 25 year old, sleep deprived and slightly Jaded 3rd year ALT.

#tw: sucide mention #life on JET #jet program #jet programme #ALT life #Japan

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rollingtsuchinoko · 7 years ago

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I’m not Buddhist or a follower of Shintoism, but in my near two decades of time spent in Asia, I have visited a lot of temples and shrines. I’ve probably been to more temples than some devout Buddhists. The art, especially in temples like Bangkok’s Wat Phra Kaew, is so interesting to me. I don’t know the meaning behind all of it, but I do know they tell the stories of The Buddha and his life. The exoticness of the art is what makes it so attractive.

Thailand may have the flashiest temples in Asia. Gilded lamyong glint in the intense tropical sunlight. Light reflects off the glass and gold stucco of the temple walls. Gold flake glistens on the Buddha statues. Wat Phra Kaew is a kaleidoscope of color. The first time I visited Thailand, I had a film camera. Yes, I am that old. I must have used up three or four rolls of film there. It is a photographers dream.

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However, of all the temples and shrines I have been to, my favorite is Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. The shrine is best known for its torii, the gates that are placed in front of a shrine’s entrance. The torii is used to mark the separation between the sacred and the profane. Must be why I get a burning sensation when I pass under one. Fushimi Inari is home to some 10,000 torii. As you walk along the temple grounds, you pass under a sea of orange gates.

Unfortunately, the day started out very rainy. It seems every time I travel in Japan I get rained on. Why can’t rainy season be in the early spring? It’s still too cold to do anything outside for a long period of time. I only had that day to explore Kyoto, so I had to make the best of it. One day is not enough time to fully explore Kyoto. One day gives you enough time to lightly scratch the surface. I picked three places, Fushimi Inare, Kinkaku-ji, and Nijo-jo. Kinkaku-ji is a must. Going to Kyoto and skipping Kinkaku-ji would be like going Paris and just ignoring the Eiffel Tower. Nijo-ji is a castle, therefore, it was high on my list. If there is a castle in a city, I will storm the gates.

Since Inari Shrine is a short train ride away from the city center I thought it would be best to go there first and work my way back into the city and hit my other targets. It was a good plan, but as they say, man plans, God laughs. I had no idea I would be making an 8 km hike for the next three hours, in the rain and ever-present summer humidity. It was not the most enjoyable day, to say the least.

Despite the dreary day, the hike turned out to be worth the effort. The main attraction of the shrine is the thousands of torii. Each torii has been donated by a business in Japan. The god Inari is the god of rice, but the god has also been worshiped as a patron of business as well. Businesses donate a torii in the hopes of having good fortune. I’d love to know how all that has worked out. Maybe I’ll donate a torii if it is proven to be profitable. Regardless of the meaning behind them, walking through gates creates a feeling of being in a special and exotic place. You won’t find anything like this back in Iowa.

Foxes are Inari’s messengers. The little kitsune generally have a key or jewel clamped tightly in their jaws. The key represents the key to the granary. I guess Inari doesn’t have pockets. The jewel, which can sometimes be found under a paw, represents spiritual and material wealth, fertility, and life. The foxes are placed at the northeast gate to ward off evil spirits. The symbology surrounding shrines and temples is something I really need to study more. It would be great to really understand everything I am looking at.

The rain eventually let up as I continued my slog up the mountain. I did not have a long hike in mind when I started the day. Mt. Inari is no Fuji to be certain, but I wasn’t mentally prepared for this climb. But I think I was more prepared than a group of Japanese men I met on the hike up. A group of four men was making their way down the mountain. Three of them were descending under their own power, one was being carried down. Well, not so much carried, but sort of a very uncomfortable looking piggy-back ride. Maybe it was a really good quarter financially and the boss wanted to share some sake or shochu with his patron. I think Inari didn’t drink very much. Whatever the reason, the dude was completely plastered. Mind you, this was around 11:00 in the morning when I passed them. I wished them luck, they didn’t seem impressed with my Japanese or my wishes. All I got back was a couple of glares and a shake of the head. 仕方がない.

The rest of the hike proved to be uneventful. It even got a little easier after the rain stopped. The humidity, however, did not dissipate. It seemed to get even worse. All I know is I am glad that a few of the 5 million vending machines in Japan were placed strategically around the mountain. 200 Yen for a bottle of water seemed a bit outrageous, but captive customers are the best customers.

The moss-covered stone torii were a nice subdued contrast to the bright orange torii that dominate the shrine. The stone torii and lanterns give the shrine an ancient feel. Well, to be honest, it is pretty ancient. The shrine, at least parts of it, were built in 816. My North American mind can’t fathom things that old. There are some Pueblo settlements that are from a similar epoch, but those are an exception. Every prefecture in Japan has a shrine or temple or structure that is over 1000 years old. One aspect of Japan, and Asia as a whole, that I enjoy is the contrast of the ancient with the ultra-modern. Not far from Inari Shrine is Osaka with all of its lights, skyscrapers, and access to the bullet train.

I reached the summit of the mountain in about two hours. I was soaked, sweaty, and tired. I took a few minutes to look around the shrine and started my descent. I really had to hustle if I was going to reach my goals for the day. After about 30 minutes I ran into some familiar faces. The quartet I had met earlier were still making their way down the mountain. The poor guy who seemed to be doing most of the carrying looked completely exhausted. He must have been the new guy at the company. All I know, if it were up to me, that dude would have been left on top of the mountain to sleep it off. I hope he got a bonus at the end of the year.

I’ve visited too many shrines and temples to count. But Fushimi Inari is my favorite by far. It’s not flashy like Wat Phra Kaew or as famous as Senso-ji, but there just something that makes me appreciate this shrine more than the others. Maybe it’s the hike. It’s not just a train ride and a short walk away. Maybe in suffering, there is enlightenment. Or maybe I just like bright colors. Whatever the reason, if you find yourself in Kyoto, make sure you visit Fushimi Inari Shrine. You won’t be disappointed.

Fushimi Inari Shrine – Kyoto I'm not Buddhist or a follower of Shintoism, but in my near two decades of time spent in Asia, I have visited a lot of temples and shrines.

#Fushimi Inari #Kyoto #Travel

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kythen · 7 years ago

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Haikyuu!! - A Day’s Work

Title: A Day’s Work

Fandom: Haikyuu!!

Pairing: Kurodai

Summary: Kurodai Weekend Day 1 - Spirits: Shinigami AU / Yokai & Exorcist AU. A day in the life of Sawamura Daichi, professional exorcist and youkai hunter, and Kuroo, professional youkai. Also found here on AO3.

Word count: 2,405

There is nothing like an invigorating sprint through the forest to keep the blood pumping, the body and spirit healthy. But the problem here is that Daichi has been at this for three whole hours now and rather than maintaining a healthy body and spirit, he feels like he might just expire on the spot if they don't get this job over and done with.

"Kuroo," Daichi calls out with his mind, feeling the bond between them hum as he makes the connection. "We have to regroup."

"What, tired already?" Kuroo responds, a teasing lilt in his voice.

"Yes," Daichi replies, not taking the bait. "Not all of us have inhuman stamina like you do. Plus, I'm beginning to think that we're being led on a wild goose chase here, seeing that neither of us have caught up to them after this long."

"I was thinking the same thing," Kuroo admits, "but I lost track of time, or your human definition of time anyway. They're probably splitting us up because it feels like you're getting further away from me."

"Okay, then we definitely need to regroup."

Daichi focuses on the bushy tail a distance before him, which darts around trees and barrels through bushes, forcing Daichi to follow it on a convoluted path through the forest. He doesn't know why he hadn't thought of doing this earlier. All that hectic running must have clogged up his head if hadn't even thought to check if his target was still there or long gone. He throws his senses out in a wide arc before him, catching on the bushy tail and grimacing.

"Daichi?"

"It's gone. I'm chasing an illusion. A really good one."

"Same here. They must have switched out while we were chasing them because I'm sure that they were there at the start."

"Damn tricksters."

"That's kitsune for you."

"Kuroo, are they still in the forest?"

"I can still smell them so they must be nearby. I bet they're just watching us and laughing their tails off," Kuroo growls.

"We shouldn't be making this mistake in the first place. It's a rookie mistake," Daichi sighs, running a hand through his sweat-soaked hair.

"Hate yourself later. Let's regroup."

"If we suddenly stop chasing them, they'll suspect that something is up. I'll pretend to stop because I'm out of breath and you come over to where I am."

"You just want a break," Kuroo says accusingly.

"Well, I don't have to pretend to be out of breath because I am out of breath," Daichi says.

"Tsk. Humans. Okay, I'll come get you. Don't get eaten in the meantime."

Daichi slows to a jog then a walk, panting heavily as he watches the bushy tail leap out of sight. He stops in a clearing, resting his hand on a tree trunk to brace his wobbly legs, keeping his senses alert. This would be the best time for the kitsune to launch an attack on him if they were planning to, when Daichi appeared to be at his weakest. If they do, Daichi might actually thank them because it means that he won't have to keep running when he could face them out in the open. He would take a direct confrontation over an endurance run through the forest any day.

The trees around him rustle and Daichi tenses up, then relaxes when he feels the distance between Kuroo and him vanish. Kuroo lands in the clearing neatly, his paws making no sound against the forest floor. Even in the bright noon sun, his massive body is pitch-black, his thick fur stubbornly refusing to absorb any light. His two tails wave jauntily in the air as he heads towards Daichi and regards him with slitted golden eyes.

"You look awful," Kuroo remarks aloud, eyeing Daichi critically.

"Thanks," Daichi says dryly.

"As I thought, they're watching us. There's one near you and the other followed me all the way here," Kuroo tells Daichi through their mental link. "They're careful, but if you strain your senses you can pick up your kitsune shadow."

Daichi rests his back against the tree trunk and says aloud, "Let me rest for a while before we go on."

He shuts his eyes and reaches out with his senses, feeling past the giant presence before him that is Kuroo and locating a smaller, distinctively kitsune-like presence at the very edge of his senses. He can't feel the other kitsune, the one tailing Kuroo, no matter how much he strains and he breaks his concentration in resignation.

"I know where mine is but not yours," Daichi reports.

"That's good enough. I'll take one and you take the other. We'll catch them by surprise."

"Come here for a moment," Daichi says aloud to Kuroo, spreading his arms wide and looking at him balefully.

Kuroo trots over, ducking his head to nuzzle Daichi's neck. Daichi hugs him around the neck, burying a hand in his thick fur and using his other hand to fish out the talismans from his shirt, hiding his movements from sight with Kuroo's bulk.

"On the count of three," Daichi tells him, focusing on his kitsune target. "One, two, three!"

Daichi drops to the ground to slam a barrier talisman into the earth, drawing a pattern around it in a lightning-quick motion and directing his barrier to stretch all the way to where the kitsune is. Kuroo is already gone, no doubt tearing after his own target and scaring the living wits out of it. Daichi feels resistance against his barrier, clawing at its walls and searching for a way out frantically. But his barrier will hold—they are his specialty after all—and Daichi concentrates on shrinking the size of his barrier, pulling the kitsune in towards him rather than going to it and leaving his barrier talisman unprotected.

A hissing blur flies towards him, a kitsune's powerful jaws aiming straight for Daichi's neck. Daichi dodges, letting it sail over his head, and when he turns, the kitsune is on the ground with its claws outstretched over his barrier talisman, ready to destroy it.

"Seal," Daichi whispers, feeling the energy surge from the rest of the talismans he had scattered around his barrier seal. When inactivated, the talismans were mere pieces of paper that youkai wouldn't sense, making them the perfect traps.

The kitsune howls as it freezes in place, unable to move or resort to trickery while within reach of Daichi's trap talismans. It glares at Daichi as he comes close and seals it off, sticking another talisman on its side with a quick chant. Disgruntled, it stays still in Daichi's arms as Daichi clears the talismans on the ground and dispels his spells.

"Daichi!" a familiar voice sings, the sound muffled, and Daichi looks up to see Kuroo trotting back into the clearing triumphantly, holding a slightly singed and equally disgruntled kitsune in his mouth.

---

Daichi makes the trek back to the village on exhausted legs, showing the village head his two captives, the twin kitsune, and receiving his payment in exchange. He asks them for a wicker basket to place the two immobile kitsune in, sealing it with talismans all over the sides and its cover. Then he throws a checkered blanket over it to hide how suspicious it looks to the public eye.

"It almost looks like we're going on a picnic," Kuroo remarks as Daichi leaves the village hall with the cheery-looking basket in tow. He leans against a wall across the street in the form of a tall, lanky man with black hair that looks like it has seen better sleeping positions and hazel eyes that look the slightest bit catlike in the right light.

"I wish," Daichi sighs. "But no, we're going to the Fushimi Inari Shrine to drop off these two troublemakers."

At this odd hour in the afternoon, Daichi manages to grab a seat in the nearly empty train and he sinks gratefully into it, resting the wicker basket in his lap. Kuroo drops into the seat beside him, still looking at the cheerfully covered basket with amusement.

"Hey," one of the kitsune pipes up from within the basket as the train starts moving. "Your line of work seems fun. Instead of going all the way to Fushimi Inari while you're this tired, why not take us on as familiars? I bet we'd be more useful than your cat over there."

"No, thanks," Daichi replies curtly. "I already have my hands full with one."

Kuroo rests his chin on Daichi's shoulder and looks down at the basket, saying smugly, "Sorry, boys, but he's mine."

"Ooh," the kitsune chorus.

"Looks like you like some tail in your men," the first kitsune remarks slyly. "If you give us the chance to transform, we're actually really handsome as men. How about it, exorcist-san?"

"I'm going to take a nap," Daichi says loudly, ignoring the kitsune's comments about his taste in familiars and men. "Kuroo, wake me up when we're there."

"Sure thing. Go to sleep, Daichi," Kuroo leans against him, a warm and steady weight against his side. He blinks down at the basket, smiling pleasantly and showing the kitsune razor-sharp teeth. "I'll watch them and if they get too rowdy, I'll just eat them for you."

---

When Daichi wakes up, his head is pillowed on Kuroo's shoulder and Kuroo has an arm around him to keep him from sliding off his seat.

The kitsune twins titter at him all the way to the shrine.

---

The sun has set by the time Daichi makes it back home and he gropes along the wall for the light switch with one hand, his other hand laden down with groceries. Despite the size of the Sawamura compound, only the sitting room, the kitchen and two rooms are in use, given that Daichi is the only one who lives here now. The place is too big for him but he can't bear to move out and sell his family home, not with all its memories and secrets contained within its walls.

"I'm home," he calls out in the empty house, toeing his shoes off at the entrance.

"Me too," Kuroo choruses, leaping past Daichi on soft feet as an ordinary black housecat.

Kuroo leads the way to the kitchen with his tail raised high, waiting for Daichi to catch up at the doorway. As Daichi enters the kitchen, Kuroo twines around his legs and meows piteously at his feet, nearly tripping him up.

"Fish. Give me the fish. I saw you get the good stuff." Kuroo paws at his thigh.

"Give me a minute, we just got back." Daichi nudges Kuroo away with a foot so that he can place his groceries on the table.

"Grill it please. I like it grilled with salt," Kuroo tells him, licking his chops.

"You know you could very well do this yourself. In a form that has two opposable thumbs," Daichi points out, taking the food items out of their bags. "Then you wouldn't have to wait for me."

"I'm no good with these finicky human chores," Kuroo sniffs, licking a paw delicately. "Besides, I'm more adorable in this form, don't you think?" He rolls over on his back and looks up at Daichi with big, golden eyes.

Daichi snorts as he sets up the portable charcoal grill on the floor. The modern grills built into the stovetop just don't have the same flavour, so Kuroo says. "I've seen you in all your other forms. That doesn't work on me anymore."

"Then how about this one?" Kuroo asks, his voice suddenly in Daichi's ear and not his head. There is a solid warmth at Daichi's back, hands hovering over his waist and sliding down into the pockets of his jeans.

Daichi turns and shoves the bag of fish at Kuroo's chest. "Good. You now have opposable thumbs. Do it yourself, you freeloader."

"Slavedriver," Kuroo mutters, cradling his bag of precious fish in his hands as Daichi steps away to prepare his dinner.

"You don't have to eat," Daichi tell him. "Or you can eat them raw just like in the good old days you keep reminiscing about."

When Daichi turns back around, Kuroo is already crouched over the grill, calling up a flame to light the charcoal. He is sulking and if he had his cat ears and tail, Daichi knows that they would be drooping too. For someone who is supposedly a couple of hundreds years old, Kuroo is surprisingly childish when it comes to things like this. Maybe it comes from being a cat spirit, contrary and free-willed to the end.

But after spending all these years with him, Daichi has grown to find that side of Kuroo strangely endearing, not that he would tell him. He would never hear the end of it if Kuroo knew about Daichi's soft spot for him. Kuroo would never lift a paw again to grill his own fish.

Daichi crouches next to Kuroo, watching Kuroo place each fish reverently on the grill, trying to fit as many pieces as he can on the tiny grill. His eyes are shining as he watches the fish cook on the fire, his hunger showing through.

"Here," Daichi nudges him, breaking him out of his reverie and handing him the salt.

Kuroo sprinkles it on carefully then sits back on his haunches, his eyes never leaving the grill. "I'll give some to you when they're done," he says to Daichi.

"That's surprisingly generous of you."

Kuroo shrugs. "I could probably spare one or two for you."

"That's not even half of what I bought." Daichi scowls.

"I have dibs on all the fish that enters this house," Kuroo informs him loftily. "It's in our contract."

"It is not."

"Maybe you should read it again."

"Nice try but no. I know what I wrote." Daichi stands, going back to preparing ingredients for his dinner.

"You're getting harder to fool," Kuroo complains, finally looking away from his precious fish, following Daichi with his eyes as he crosses the kitchen. "Back in the past, you'd get flustered and start pouring over that old thing immediately. It was adorable."

"It comes from living with you this long, I guess," Daichi replies dryly. "Either I stop taking everything you say so seriously or I go mad."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Kuroo grins, turning back to the grill as his fish begins to smoke.

#kurodaiweekend #kurodai #sawamura daichi #kuroo tetsurou #my writing

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larisaintransit · 7 years ago

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Kyoto, alone

I really love the Shinkansen. I imagine there are lots of reasons why bullet trains aren’t in the United States, but I have no idea what any of them are. Probably something to do with policy and money, blah blah.

I just want to zip across the United States, on the ground. Is that too much to ask?

Apparently so.

After an hour or so into the trip, the man sitting next to me finally broke the silence.

“Where are you going?”

I was startled. Usually Japanese people didn’t strike up conversation with me. “Kyoto,” I told him.

“Alone?”

“Yes, just for the day. I’ll go back to Tokyo tonight.”

“Where else have you been?”

“Osaka, Hiroshima and the five lakes.”

“Ah, Fujisan.”

“Yes,” I said with a smile. “It’s beautiful.”

“Where else will you go?” he asked.

“I guess I’m not sure. Do you have any recommendations? Places I can go easily from Tokyo?”

He thought for a moment, then leaned back to consult his wife and daughter. They spoke quickly in Japanese for a moment before he leaned forward again. “Have you been to Kamakura?”

“No, where is that?”

“The beach, past Yokohama. There is a lot of nice history there, like Kyoto.”

I wrote it down. After a few more moments he added, “Kanazawa. It is north.”

I searched for it on my phone. “It’s far!” I told him.

He shook his head. “Only a few hours by shinkansen. It’s very nice there--beautiful garden.

I wrote down Kanazawa under Kamakura.

We chatted the rest of the way to Kyoto. He and his family were visiting his son in Tokyo. His daughter had just graduated from Michigan University. I promised not to hold it against her, as long as she didn’t mind I was a Buckeye. She laughed and shrugged. “I guess it’s okay.”

The train pulled into Kyoto station, and I said my goodbyes and thank yous, the names of cities in Japan in my pocket. I would have to save that for later though, today I was in Kyoto.

I had left unfinished business, and the first stop was Fushimi Inari-taisha.

The first torii gate. (why hello white hat dude. I guess I’m about to see an awful lot of you...)

(Don’t hide I see you)

(Okay okay too close)

Fushimi Inari is famous for its thousands of torii gates that are absolutely all over the grounds. Mostly donated by businesses and companies throughout the years, hoping for good fortune.

Walking through them is a treat.

The shrine is also famous for its foxes, messengers for Inari.

Ema (votive tablets) with wishes and fox faces.

An omokaru stone. You make a wish, then lift the stone. If the stone is heavy, your wish will come true. It was really, surprisingly heavy.

The complex is maze like, and you can wind your way up the mountain without ever seeing the same place twice.

More peace cranes.

Fushimi Inari is incredible, and VERY crowded. I wish I could have come earlier, but I was barred by a three hour train ride from Tokyo. I decided to shun the crowds and head outside of the city a little.

And I took the Shinobi-train to do it.

To the suburbs!

I walked from the train station, weaving uphill through neighborhood streets and feeling very self-conscious about being some lost foreigner with a tattoo. I was looking for Omi Jingu, a shrine about twenty minutes outside of Kyoto.

Omi Jingu ---------> <--------- Some other shrine

“Let’s see where this other path goes first!” said no one smart, ever.

Oh straight up a mountain. Okay, cool.

Okay that was nice now let’s go back down and find this actual...

Oh.

Found it.

There were very few people and only one other tourist and he was also there only because of Chihayafuru too. (Hello Cory from Nova Scotia!)

Omi Jingu really embraces this anime though.

Omi Jingu is also a clock museum.

A water clock. I’ve never seen one before, that’s neat!

Wait what on earth is a fire clock?! How does it work!?

The furthest I could get from a touristy shrine.

Karuta cards.

It was time for dinner, so I headed back into the ctiy.

And this time, found the real Nishiki market.

Quail eggs in a fish cake.

Hedgehogs! No idea what they’re made out of.

My stomach full, I headed back to Kyoto station to start the long trip back to Tokyo. It still doesn’t feel like I did many things, but I know it was a completely full day. This time, I felt better about leaving Kyoto. I’ll definitely be back, though.

#travel #japan #kyoto #fushimi inari taisha #omi jingu #chihayafuru #nishiki market

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livekyoto · 8 years ago

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Hi do you have any recommendations as to where would be the best places to visit in kyoto? (preferably temples, shrines, and castles :] but I'm open to anything!) thank you! > I like historical and unique places

Oh boy do I! Strap in; this is gonna be a long post.First of all, you have to know that Kyoto is the historic capital, so there are a LOT of these kinds of places around the city. The most popular/famous places to visit are Kinkakuji (the Golden Pavillion, which I guarantee you’ve seen pictures of), Kiyomizu-dera (famous for its view of the city), Fushimi Inari Shrine (the shrine of a billion torii gates), and Nijo Castle. Any travel guide will list information on all of these. They are excellent stops, but as information is freely available, I’ll let you look into them yourself.I’m also going to forewarn you that Kyoto is pretty spread out, so I recommend buying a one day subway pass at the very least for each day that you’re here (they’re 600 yen each). If you want specific details on getting places, feel free to PM me.That said! For temples, Chion-in, Nanzen-ji, and Kurama-dera are a few of my favorites. Chion-in and Nanzenji are convenient if you are near Gion or visiting Heian Shrine (the latter of which I HIGHLY recommend at least passing by for its famously massive torii gate). Chion-in you’ll find after a bit of a walk. Nestled at the base of the mountains, the complex is at the top of a tall, wide staircase. It’s one of the lesser-visited temples, which makes it very quiet, even during peak seasons. Nanzen-ji is farther north, and one of my favorite places to explore around. From Keage station, walk a bit north and you’ll see a red brick tunnel on your right. Go through it for a lovely walking path toward Nanzen-ji temple. This one does cost money to enter, so if you’re looking to save money, just walking in the area is a beautiful experience. Kurama-dera is comparatively a long adventure, and if you want to visit, plan for a day trip. It’s a mountain hike with a spectacular view at the top, and making your way down the opposite side of the mountain and into the Kibune area (especially in summer!) is a breathtakingly gorgeous experience. If you’re up to a moderately steep mountain hike, I highly recommend it.For shrines, I have a lot of love for Fushimi Inari, as touristy as it is. It’s kind of a discount version of Kurama (nearer to Kyoto station, free to hike the mountain and look around), and visiting the main shrine should really be on every visitor’s to-do list. The earlier or later you go, the better; peak tour times seem to run between 9 and 4, so that’s when it’ll be the most crowded. And avoid going on a Sunday! Shimogamo Shrine is also a great place to visit. It’s massive and extremely rich in history. I’ve only walked through it once or twice, but I remember feeling very small while I was there. Shimogamo has a weight to it.A little further south you’ll find the Imperial Palace and gardens. I’ve never been inside the palace itself, though they do open for tourists more and more frequently, it seems. However, there are a lot of signposts in English, Japanese and … Korean? I think? that explain the historical significance of sites all over the grounds. It’s easy to lose a couple hours just walking around.My biggest recommendation though, if you have time, is to just spend time walking through the side streets, especially in the northern half of the city. There are temples, shrines, little shops, and cafes just everywhere.

#replies #asks #kyoto #temples #shrines #recommendations #tourism #japan

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eathealthylivefree · 6 years ago

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Budget Travel Tips For Asia

This post Budget Travel Tips For Asia was written by Michelle Peng, a graduate of the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design focusing on graphic design and digital media. Michelle has a passion for adventure, looking for inspiration for her creative practices wherever she travels. She hopes to pursue her graphic design career while finding ways to continue exploring the world. Check out her portfolio here.

On April 28, 2018 I graduated from the University of Michigan and opened the doors to a new chapter in my life. I began it by spending a month and a half traveling with some of the amazing people I met throughout college. We spent a month in Asia starting in Japan, then Vietnam, Thailand, and last but not least, Indonesia. As recent graduates and unemployed 22 year olds, we were on a mission to travel the world and save as much as we could in every aspect of the trip. Let me take you through our journey with how we budgeted for about $45/day (not including flights), our favorite activities, delicious food spots, and some tips we learned along the way.

Budget Travel Tips For Asia: General Flight Tips

We knew flights were going to take up a large part of our travel expenses and we were willing to sacrifice some time and comfort to save money. The majority of our flights were booked with AirAsia (which we liked to refer to as the Spirit Airlines of Asia). Although it wasn’t the most comfortable, it was definitely our cheapest option and most of our international/all of our domestic flights were short distances. Also, many of our flights ended up not being full so we were able to shift into empty rows as soon as boarding ended.

One of the biggest mistakes we made was thinking we could take our carry-on luggages as carry-ons along with small backpacks. We learned the hard way that on AirAsia and VietJet Air, the carry-on limit was only 7kg, which was the weight of our backpacks alone! Therefore, if you don’t want to pay extra for checked-baggage, make sure you check the baggage allowances for every airline or pack under 7kg.

Budget Travel Tips For Asia: Japan

My favorite activity in Japan was going to the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto where there are thousands of orange torii gates. My friends and I decided to head into Kyoto at 6 AM so we could do the 2-3 hour hike in the peace of the morning without the sweltering heat and crowds of tourists. The early rise was the best decision we made because we had the mountain to ourselves!

Once we reached the bottom of the mountain around 10AM, the area was packed with travelers and the streets were lined with vendors selling a variety of foods. The options ranged from sweet and savory dumplings on sticks and octopus balls to bento boxes and bowls of udon noodles. Beyond Kyoto and street food, restaurants were too pricey so we mostly headed to Japan’s magical 7-Elevens. There, you will find endless beverage options, snacks, pre-made bento boxes, rice triangles, and so much more. It helped us stay on the move and on a low food budget in the most expensive country on our trip.

Budget Travel Tips For Asia: Vietnam

The best decision we made in Vietnam was booking a Halong Bay cruise with La Paci Cruises for $140 per person. The rooms on the boat were really nice and the two day/one night cruise included 3 traditional meals, kayaking in the bay, and a smaller boat tour.

Since food in Vietnam was pretty cheap, averaging $8 a meal, we weren’t afraid to explore a variety of trendy cafés and restaurants. Secret House is a Vietnamese restaurant and café in Ho Chi Minh City that had really cool vibes and even better food!

Pasteur Street Brewing Company creates craft beer in Vietnam and combines American craft brewing techniques with Vietnamese ingredients. They have Tap Rooms in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi where you can try their diverse selection of flavors. We went to the one in Hanoi where there is a great rooftop terrace!

One last place that we absolutely loved was the Hanoi Social Club. This café was adorable and had really delicious Vietnamese coffee. Although there are Vietnamese food options, this place is more for “Instagram worthy” brunch foods.

Budget Travel Tips For Asia: Thailand

Our first stop in Thailand was on Phi Phi Island where we splurged to stay at the PP Princess Resort for $53.50 a night. The island was beautiful and it was the perfect way to relax after two weeks of non-stop travel.

The White Temple and Blue Temple were two of the many beautiful temples we saw, but you can’t go to Thailand without going to an elephant sanctuary. We booked a tour with Elephant Jungle Sanctuary which has multiple ethical elephant nature parks in Thailand. We went to the one in Chiang Mai where we were able to feed the elephants, get close and personal with them, bathe them, and take a mud bath with them! If you can get past how much elephants poop, then you’ll have an educational and fun day.

While we were in Phuket, it consistently rained for the two days we were there. Therefore, we found indoor markets and took a Muay Thai boxing class right outside of the Patong Boxing Stadium. It was an amazing workout with a one-on-one training session with a professional fighter.

Thailand has a lot of night markets that have a variety of food options. I spent the week eating myself sick of Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, and mango sticky rice while chugging Thai iced tea. The Dow Restaurant on Phi Phi Island is vegetarian friendly and has some of the best local food on the island!

Chiang Mai is known for art cafés which are cafés that display and/or sell home decor and art. One my favorites was Woo Café which was also an art gallery and lifestyle shop. They had many food options, including local cuisine, as well as larger than life smoothies!

Budget Travel Tips For Asia: Indonesia

Last but not least, we flew to Bali, Indonesia where we spent a few days in Ubud. This is my second time in Indonesia and it felt like home. I immediately brought my friends to the Sacred Monkey Forest right in Ubud. While in the forest, listen to the rules and stay cautious because these monkeys like to grab water bottles, sunglasses, and other fun items.

Another memorable activity was visiting the Tegalalang Rice Terraces which is an incredible scene of greenery. I would suggest going earlier in the day or later in the afternoon so you’re not walking uphill and downhill through the terraces in unbearable heat.

Bali has a lot of aesthetically pleasing cafés and restaurants for all the tourists that come through and they’re easy to find with one quick search on TripAdvisor. But to be honest, I don’t care where I’m eating as long as I’m eating Mie Goreng, which are Indonesian fried noodles. It had been two years since I ate my last order of Mie Goreng and I finally returned for more! Other notable dishes to try are Nasi Goreng (fried rice) and Nasi Campur, which is a rice dish with a sampler of a few small dishes.

As the Chapter Continues…

Although we saw and ate so much more than what I wrote here, there was still only so much we could do with a week in each country. Traveling from country to country in Asia is definitely harder and more time consuming than Europe but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything else. As a group of young girls, we always felt safe, but we also always remained cautious and protective of each other. We were very aware of our surroundings, our belongings, and of people who were trying to scam us. Anywhere in the world can be dangerous but I wouldn’t let that stop you from experiencing new cultures. Just be aware, do your research, and travel smart. What countries have you traveled to or want to visit in Asia?

The post Budget Travel Tips For Asia appeared first on Jeanette's Healthy Living.

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lostbandar · 7 years ago

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Japan- Complete Guide to Hakone visit from Tokyo – Hakone Free Day Pass

Japan- Complete Guide to Buying and Using a Japan Rail Pass

Handy guide to Japan Culture and Etiquette

As I stood in Kyoto station outside the JR ticket counter waiting for Amrita and Ohanna, all I could focus was at the bakery right across. I dragged a rucksack, suitcase and a small bag to grab the best chocolate croissant we ever had. It was mountain day, and the station was busy with people travelling all across the country. Worlds 2nd fittest country has a holiday calendar with days dedicated to Mountains, Sea, Star, and a Dolls & Girls Festival. It gives you an idea of how well nature and people are synchronised with each other. Japanese are calm and crazy at the same time, with shrines and Zen gardens all around to love hotels and insane fashion trends, it’s all pretty mind-boggling.

It just seems impossible, travelling to a country where they don’t speak your language and your 6-year-old who has a mind of her own and doesn’t care what you say, in my wildest dreams I had not imagined that it would be so easy travelling in Japan. If you leave your passport or purse somewhere and it comes and finds you, nobody is begging, it’s clean, nobody can be more punctual and mind it; it is considered rude if you count the change you get back while shopping. It’s a different world… a place that’s worth exploring. From Monuments and Shrines to Mountains and beaches, Japan has everything to offer, and visiting them is easier than you think. With an incredible network of worlds best trains, buses, trams and flights you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Delhi – Narita Airport –Tokyo – Kyoto

Kyoto, the earlier capital of Japan, intrigued us as much as Tokyo. With a history of more than 5000 years, love for Zen gardens and a mention in Steve Jobs biography, we decide to visit Kyoto first.

So we exchanged our voucher for JR Pass and took the NXT train to Tokyo central to catch the next Shinkansen for Kyoto. With only two subway lines, the best way to travel in Kyoto is by bus. We took a bus from the Bus terminal right outside Kyoto Station to MyStays Hotel located in Downtown Kyoto.

Kyoto District Map

Downtown Kyoto is close to most of the attractions in town and travelling with my daughter I wanted to be located centrally. Next four days we went all out exploring Kyoto’s innumerable shrines and its cuisine at our slow pace. Wherever you might be in Kyoto, Google maps will always show a Shrine close by. Kyoto has options for hikes and cycling routes, and most of the attractions are starting points for these hikes. We checked official Kyoto Tourism page for latest events and found the Light and sound show on Thousand Demons at Kodaiji Temple.

Exploring Kyoto with a Bus Pass

Buy a one or two day pass depending on the length of your stay and days itinerary for unlimited bus rides during that period. This will take you to almost all corners of Kyoto. It’s always on time, and the best way to find your bus is to use google maps. They also give a city map to get a better idea of the different route the buses ply on.

Top Things to do in Kyoto

Temples- Shrines – Bamboo Forest- Food – Culture – History- Hikes and Cycling

Ginkakuji Temple

Arashiyama – Bamboo Forest & Monkey Garden

Chion-in Temple & Kyoto Station

Kyoto Station building is a sprawling commercial building with train stations, shopping and great restaurants. Kyoto Bus Stand is right outside. Take a bus or do a 10 min walk to the Chion -in Temple.

Gion & Maruyama Park

Yasaka Shrine

Gion is lined up with fantastic shopping, lanes filled up with fabulous restaurants and eateries alongside Mikasa river. A shrine is never far away, and Maruyama Park connected to Gion has a collection of magnificent shrines and temples. This is a must visit during your Kyoto trip

Kodai-Ji Temple

We visited this temple during the festival of 1000 demons with a light and sound show

Fushimi Inari-Taisha – The mountain of faith will test yours so go prepared

Kinkaku-Ji/ Rokuon-Ji- Now a Buddist Aen temple was earlier retirement vill of the shogun

Ryonji

Nishiki market – Street Food, Restaurants & Shopping

Amazing Day Trips from Kyoto using your JR Pass

Kanazawa

Nagahama

Himeji

Enryukuji

Hiroshima

Osaka

Kobe

Hikone

Destination Tokyo

Tokyo is one of those rare cities of the world which has world-class infrastructure on one hand and temples and shrines on the other dating to more than 5000 years. The normal and extreme walk hand in hand. Buildings dedicated to Karaoke Bars, Gaming arcades, Love Hotels, fine dining to the best tea drinking ceremony, samurais and sumo wrestlers. Could I intrigue you more?

Travelling with our daughter, we wanted to choose a place which was close to the attractions we had planned to take her on this trip. We took up an Airbnb in Nippori area. This was a blessing in disguise as we were in a lovely and quiet residential area with all necessities within walking distance like the Belgian cafe across the road.

Top Things To Do In and around Tokyo with Kids

Disney land and Tokyo Sea World– Book the Disney resorts or hotels for comfortable transfers and other benefits. If you are staying out like us, reach the resort at the opening time of 8 am by subway to Maihama station. Also, plan and book according to the footfall on those particular days. Check it here: Disney Crowd Calendar

Ueno Park. Visit this park for:

Hakone Day Trip

Even on a short trip to Japan, it is imperative to move away from Tokyo to understand the flow of energy, beauty and calm which is part of Japanese life all across the country. The best way to do this is to take a one or two-day trip to Hakone which is less than 100 km from Tokyo. Part of Fuji- Hakone- Izu National Park, It’s a hilly area with fantastic views of Mt Fuji from various locations like Lake Ashi, Ropeway stops, Hotels and more. Read: Japan- Complete Guide to Hakone visit from Tokyo – Hakone Free Day Pass

Kamakura Beach

If the weather is good head out to the beaches around Tokyo. Train rides with slightly more than an hour will get you there.

Hato Bus Tour is perfect to know the cities routes and various famous shrines. We loved the tour and especially our visit to Meiji Shrine located in a 170-acre jungle in the heart of the city. Click here to Book a Hato Bus Tour

Museum of Maritime Science

Lego land

Boat Tours

Tsukiji Fish Market

Planning the Japan TRIP

Japan Visa (http://www.vfsglobal.com/japan/india/)

At INR 1150 is super cheap if you are applying from India. They would generally give a multiple-entry visa with a maximum stay depending on your itinerary. Document checklist is available online and the whole process takes almost seven working days. Also, check out JAL Airways for Promotional offers.

Japan Railway Pass (https://www.jrailpass.com/)

For travelling within Japan though you have a lot of flight options, I would highly recommend buying a JR pass. If you buy a single ticket, it can be very expensive but a JR pass will start saving you money from the first trip itself Stations are located centrally and are easy to approach. Frequency is enough for you to make a pretty flexible plan just in case of any last minute changes. They have options for 7, 14 and 21 days. Special discounts for kids and senior citizens. If it is a last minute trip, you can buy it from an authorised travel agent in your city too. Insist on the free Japan travel guide with it.

Note: has to be bought outside Japan before arrival.

For more information on JR pass click: Complete Guide to Buying and using a Japan Rail Pass

Travel Insurance

It is one of the most important things for the trip. I’ve sworn by it since the day I started travelling internationally. Depending on the policy, it covers all your medical bills, lost luggage and other emergencies.

I recommend: ICICI Lombard and Bajaj Allianz

Pocket Wi-Fi Modems

They generally work for 10 devices and are very useful. It can save you loads of time, as you can check Train times, Shinkansen Train schedules, bus routes, locating restaurants and last minute Cab Bookings.

Book them on JR pass site or various other providers in Japan. They can be collected at the Airport from their respective counters as you land into Japan. You can also go directly and pay and pick up a device, but sometimes in peak season, they are out of stock. So do pre-book.

Links: https://www.jrailpass.com/pocket-wifi

https://www.econnectjapan.com/

https://www.pupuru.com/en/

Hotel Bookings

With few amazing apps, the process of booking rooms has become super easy. I always research the things to do in a city and the book as close as possible to them within my budget. Booking in Japan was a little different; there are a few room types to choose from.

Ryokan | Cube Hotels| Vacation Rentals| Standard Hotels (Budget- Mid-range – Luxury)

Booking.com – If you are not sure but want to block the rooms without paying till a cutoff date.

Agoda.com | Expedia.com| Airbnb.com

We stayed at Mystay Hotel, Kyoto and Airbnb, Nippori Area, Tokyo

Tokyo Currency:

Cash is preferred at most places, and sometimes it can be difficult to find ATM machines in some part of the town or as you travel to lesser touristy areas of Japan. We were carrying Dollars, and our first exchange was at Narita Airport and remaining in the city.

1 INR = 1.76 JPY

1 USD = 107 JPY

Average Meal: 600 yen

Food on the Shelves (7 Eleven, Family Mart, Lawson, Daiso): 300 yen

Ramen and Gyoza (Momo/Dim Sum) in most of the restaurants are 300 yen too.

Don’t miss the most amazing bakery products available all across Japan

Apps to make it all Easy :

City Happenings: TimeoutTokyo| City Tourism websites

Booking Tours and Activities: Japantravel | Viator |Tripadvisor |Visitacity

Conversion rate– xCurrency

Lost in translation: GoogleTranslate| Duolingo (learn basic Japanese)

Understanding Culture and Etiquette is essential in Japan. By following them, you are able to scratch the surface and get a better understanding of the place and a sense of belonging. Empty your cup as you enter Japan, It has so much to teach and offer that it changes the way one lives. Read Complete guide to Japanese lingos and Etiquette Handy Guide to Japan Culture and Etiquette

Japan with my 6 year Old Japan- Complete Guide to Hakone visit from Tokyo – Hakone Free Day Pass Japan- Complete Guide to Buying and Using a Japan Rail Pass…

#featured

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kaitlinmcandrews · 8 years ago

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Wow, finally, the time has come! Strap yourself in, this is going to be a long one. I have to cut it into two halves or else it would be like a novel. Now, it’s just have a novel. A short story, if you will.

In August, Patrick’s parents and family friend came to Japan for about a month. Pat’s brother didn’t make it this time, but there was still five of us again. This trip went a lot smoother, in my opinion, than their trip to Korea. To be fair, Japan is a bit more foreigner friendly (the food and culture is not as crazy-different as Korea was) .

Also, I’m not sure how to really explain this… but… uh… I guess since we weren’t going to an island that I know I would never visit again, I felt more okay with being flexible. So, perhaps it was because last time they visited us, we didn’t know how to be tour guides. It could have also been because we knew that we would probably NEVER go to Jeju ever again. Or, it could have been because Jeju was actually much more different from mainland Korea than we thought it would be.

What I’m getting at is that when Pat’s family came to see us in Korea, we had an awesome time, but we also had some hiccups along the way. This time, however, it seemed that our excursions went fairly smoothly?

So, if you can remember, we were working for an Eikaiwa (a Japanese private school) and had limited time off. Actually, during this time, we were preparing to move for our new job in Yokohama. Wow, I’m distracted. Do you care about our schedule? Probably not…. Oh well, sucks to be you, I’m going to talk about it anyway….So, I shall continue. We worked until the day that Pat’s parents came to Japan. We figured that this would be perfect! Actually, we were pretty clever with our yearly vacation days and were able to use them at the tail end of our work period. In other words, we only physically worked for one extra week, but we got paid for an additional 10 days of work. We got basically half of our August pay!

Annoyingly, though, this made things so much more difficult. We had to deal with working and preparing for class for one more week, try to pack for our big move, clean the apartment, and plan our expected activities. Oh well, we had some extra money, and we were able to help the school for a bit longer.

Oh, were you waiting for me to talk about what we did?

Ah.

Sorry.

Ok, well it was awhile ago, so my memory is incredibly fuzzy….. I’ll try my best!

Day 1 – Arrival in Kyoto

So, the McAndrews met us at Kyoto Station. I misunderstood where they were waiting and did a lot of wandering. Kyoto Station is pretty big so it is easy to get lost. Once we met up with them, we walked with them to their hostel. Unfortunately for them, they came in a bit of a busy season (who am I kidding, every day of the year is busy season in Kyoto…) so they had a hard time finding hotels. Luckily, Pat’s mom seems to be a hostel-finding genius haha.

The hostels that they were in for most of their trip were Japanese-style, which essentially means the bedding situation is different that any North American would be used to. In Japan, many people sleep on a futon. BUT! A futon in Japan is not what we call a futon in Canada. In Canada, if you hear futon, you are probably thinking of a fold-down bed. In Japan, a futon is a thin down/cotton mattress on the floor. At home, this is what Pat and I use every night, so we are used to it.

Since we met up with them fairly late, after they checked in, we went out for supper right away. Now, this time, I made a conscious effort not to dictate our food choices or to argue. So, I let them lead the way with their food choices (actually, to be honest, I don’t like Japanese food as much as I like Korean food, so I felt less of a desire to have them try specific foods. In Korea, I was so passionate about their amazing food that I wanted them to try everything…. ). They decided on an Italian place. It was obviously marketed towards foreigners, which is fine, but means the price will be higher. It was. It was quite expensive…. The portion sized were also quite small. The food was good though!

I really can’t remember, but I don’t think we did anything after that…. Maybe we went to a small Irish Pub at Kyoto Station… I don’t remember what day that was. But, I think it was that day. The Olympics were on the TV so of course Pat’s dad had to get updated! They got to see the Japanese side of the Olympics, which, I’m sure is a bit of a different point of view.

Day 2 – Fushimi Inari

Our first official day off from work! Yay~

They had to check out of their hostel and check into a different one, so I think they had a bit of a hectic morning. Gosh, I really can’t remember. Oh well. Well whatever the details were, we ended up at Fushimi Inari eventually haha.

Now, you may know this already, but Fushimi is my favourite place in Kyoto. I love it. It is an easy hike and somehow I never get sick of the tori gates. Never.

August in Japan is so freaking hot, by the way, so although this is an easy hike, we were all sweating like crazy. There are vending machines along the way (weird right?), but the drinks were way over priced. Well, even though I had an entire post dedicated to this place, here are some more photos!

I think I restrained myself this time haha, just because I already have so many photos. The view at the top was quite nice and clear.

Did you miss pictures of Pat and his Dad’s backs?

It was a nice day. It was hot like it was in Jeju, but we didn’t do as much unnecessary walking like we had to in Jeju…

So once we reached the “top��, Pat’s family friend stayed at the covered shelter while the rest of us continued up the mountain a bit. There is a trail that loops around from that spot and back. There isn’t a view or anything, so continuing from that point on isn’t really necessary. The loop doesn’t take too long so when we came back I think it was a good amount of break time for the family friend.

Pat taking in the view~

If you ever go to Kyoto, I really recommend going here. It is just so interesting. It is a fairly easy hike and doesn’t take too long. It is like the perfect way to spend the day.

I made a schedule for our trip, but I don’t think we followed it very closely so I don’t remember what we did after this. I put on my schedule to check out downtown. So… maybe we went downtown? Ugh, I don’t know.

Day 3 – Fireworks festival in Shiga

The next day, we got to go to an annual Fireworks festival in Shiga, Japan. Shiga is right next to Kyoto. It is an area (I don’t think it’s a prefecture, but it definitely isn’t a city… It’s like a region? I suppose) that surrounds Lake Biwa. Biwa Lake is the largest lake in Japan. The fireworks were over the lake so I knew it would be beautiful.

Well, after talking with my Japanese coworkers, I learned that this is an event that most Japanese people will be wearing yukata. I was soooo excited.

But

I’m an idiot….

A few days earlier (after our last day of work), we dropped off our company uniforms at the dry cleaners. Deciding to take advantage of the situation, I also brought some dresses and my yukata as well. Since this was my first time going to a dry cleaner”s (yeah, I’m a terrific adult…), I really had no idea how long it took to have clothes dry cleaned…. Well, it didn’t take a day like I thought haha. So, I suddenly didn’t have my yukata for the festival. NOoooOoOO~

I decided to buy a cheap one from Uniqlo. The original one I bought was much more expensive and obviously of a higher quality.

Oh well.

I had Pat meet up with them earlier than me as I got ready. I knew that with the hair, makeup and yukata putting-on-ing, that I would take a while. Well, I underestimated how long it would take. Yukata’s are so frustrating to put on and look nice.

Also, short side story:

About a month prior to this time, I got my first haircut in Kyoto. I bleached my hair and trimmed it myself up to that point, but decided it was time for a professional trim. Well, it was a huuuuuge mistake. My hair was like shoulder length and a bit damaged. As I have done many times in the past, I said “I’m not picky about style. Just get rid of the dead ends and give any style.”…. well…. USUALLY, the hair dresser picks a style that suits my face type. I also am 100% okay with short hair, so I told him to cut off as much as he thinks is necessary. Well…. what I’m not okay with is a haircut that is unflattering, difficult to style, or required a lot of work to look proper. That was exactly what he gave me. He cut off a lot, and I was sad, but like, understanding? I knew it was going to be short. I mentally prepared myself for that and let him do what he was doing. In the end, he gave me what is know as a halo haircut. Please, take a break from this post and google it. It is awful. I looked so so so bad. Even now, I am stilll trying to grow this mess of a hairstyle out. The front layers are so incredibly short. I essentially had a mushroom cut mixed with a mullet.

Okay, back to the festival.

My hair was so difficult to style. I could not get it to look flattering. (In my last post at the Gion Festival, I had the same issue). My makeup was okay, but due to my airline incident, I really didn’t own much makeup. My new yukata had an obi (belt) that I had to tie myself, unlike my expensive one that had an easy style obi.

I was so frustrated. It took so long.

I knew the trains were going to be packed and the venue would be so busy. I wanted to leave waaaay earlier than we did.

Well, everyone was very patient with me. We got to the train station and holy moly was I right. The trains were packed! I suppose it was interesting that the McAndrews got to experience the stereotype that Japanese trains are wall-to-wall with people and how people are basically pushed onto the train to fit. Not that that is a good experience, but kind of neat I guess..

Sorry everyone in this pic. You are now famous.

This was at the festival train stop. So many people! Notice that the going up side is completely empty. Not as many yukatas as I had expected, but still quite few.

Once we piled out of the station we followed the crowds to where the viewing areas were. I had brought a cooler bag along so we were also on the lookout for a place to get some drinks to fill the bag with. Everything was crowded. It was pretty difficult to do anything haha. We split up momentarily. The boys got some drinks and the girls went to scout out places. It was already so busy at this time..

It was like an organized chaos. Japan, unlike Canada, really knows how to handle large crowds AND large crowds know how to handle themselves. Nobody was being crazy, nobody was jumping or climbing over the rails, and nobody was on the opposite side of traffic. People walk together as a group and seem to peacefully find a place to view the fireworks without being rude or pushy.

Me and Pat’s mom found a place to sit on the pavement (on a mat thing…). Pat, his dad, and the family friend didn’t want to sit on the pavement and totally ditched us! I was actually pretty annoyed at Pat since I was so excited for this event and really wanted to spend it with him. Oh well. I suuupoooose his comfort is important…

There were around 10,000 fireworks supposedly. It was the best fireworks display I had ever seen in my life. I can’t even describe how stunning they were. I tried my best to take photos of them, but it’s much easier said than done for a non-photographer like myself.

The fireworks were stunning, so here is a whole bunch of photos:

oooh, planets

smiley faces!

teddy bears!

I don’t know!

“falling” type

So many colours. I snapped this one like 1 sec too late…

Probably my favourite photo

I had a lot of fun, despite sitting away from Pat. I’m pretty sure I had teary eyes. It was so overwhelming. The fireworks were so impressive. They had a ‘program’ for the fireworks so it was easy to predict when the big shows would start. In Japanese style, they were on time for every segment. Like, to the minute. This made it easy to follow along and have an idea of what was going on.

The fireworks finished quite late, but we were a bit hungry. Since it is a festival, there is always street food around. But, because it’s Japan, everything closes pretty early. We had to get the last servings from some food stalls. We each got a draft beer (which are served at the street food tents) and drank them on our way back to the train station.

The line for the train was MASSIVE! We had to wait quite a while in line and there were even security guards ushering people inside the station. They must know how many people can fit in the train at a time since they seemed to be counting the number of people entering at a time.

It started to get a bit worrying since the trains don’t really run that late and we don’t live in Shiga. If we missed the train, we would have a pretty expensive taxi ride. Luckily, we did make it. It was a lot of fun. If you are ever in the Kyoto area around the beginning of August, I highly recommend checking out the fireworks festival on the lake.

Day 4 – Osaka (baseball)

Before I talk about the day itself, I have to tell you about buying the tickets. We bought the tickets a week or so before they came. Although the stereotype about Japan is that it is super high-tech, in many ways, it is a bit archaic. It’s like they try to be high-tech, but somehow make it more difficult than it needs to be.

So, buying tickets (or like anything) online is either non-existent or for Japanese citizens only. Sometimes, you can get something online, print out the order, bring it to the convenient store, and then pay at the convenient store. WHY? Why make it so complicated?? Why add so many steps?! ahem. sorry.

In this case, it wasn’t quite that easy. So, to order sporting or concert tickets, you need to go to the convenient store and order them there. There will be a machine (in Japanese only….) where you will find and order your ticket. For people that are fluent in Japanese, this probably is quite convenient. For people like me, who suck at learning languages and definitely don’t know the terms needed to buy tickets, it can be quite a headache. To make things worse, it seems that certain tickets need to be bought at certain stores.

We went to Family Mart to get our baseball tickets. We were basically buddies with the employee that worked there and he tried his hardest to help us. We both had our Google translate out and were basically communicating with the apps. After a long time doing this, we figured out that we couldn’t buy what we wanted at that convenient store. He told us to try Lawson.

We headed to Lawson. We fiddled with the machine there and couldn’t find anything…. We headed to 7-11. We headed to the copying/fax/buying ticket machine. We started to have some luck. It was still all in Japanese so we had to use Google translate throughout the process. We were able to find the games, categorized by teams, and get the tickets. We then had to bring the tickets to the cashier to pay for them (because paying at the ticket machine would make too much sense right?). This was like a good hour out of our day, but we did it!

Okay, fast forward to the actual event.

I decided to take a detour from the family and go to the Pokemon Center for Pat’s mom. She wanted to buy a gift for her niece so I decided to go for her. It is a bit out of the was from downtown Osaka. I was hoping that they would go to Osaka Castle while I was buying this, but as always, they didn’t have enough time. It’s too bad, I think they would have really liked it.

We planned to meet in Osaka once I was finished. But, there was a problem…. My phone was dying. Not just that, but the game was going to start soon. I was in a panic. Finding a place to plug in is really difficult. I got scolded when I plugged into the wall at the train station…. so embarrassing.

My other task for the day was to find a bank and take out cash. Have I ever told you how frustrating it can be to take out cash from a Canadian bank card? It seems that some people (okay, probably most people) can easily take out cash from the atm at 7-11 or at a JP Post atm. For some reason, the ONLY bank that has ever accepted our Canadian card was Citibank. So, as I was dealing with trying to meet up with Pat, carrying around a huge Pokemon Center bag, and havin a dead phone, I was also trying to find a Citibank.

Well, it no longer existed….

ugh.

By pure luck it seems, I found Pat, and we rushed to the Stadium. The game was okay. I’m not a big sports fan, so I mostly enjoyed eating and drinking haha.

I personally enjoyed watching the game in Korea so much more. For someone who doesn’t care for the actual game, the games in Korea are so much more interesting. You can get seats with tables where you can eat delicious fried chicken. You can bring in your own alcohol or food. The cheering sections were so so entertaining and it just had a really fun atmosphere.

The one thing that is note-worthy about this game was the balloons that were shot up into the air near the end (the blue balloons in the photos above). They had a very…..interesting…. shape to them. Everyone let them go at the same time, so it was like reverse rain of blue balloons. They made a whistling sound as they shot up into the air. We didn’t have any, so we felt a bit out of the loop. That would have been fun. Pat’s dad picked up a used one from the ground as a souvenir hahahaha, funny guy.

After the game, we headed to Osaka’s famous downtown area: Dotonbori. This area is really nice at night. There is a river that runs through the middle and has an iconic view.

We were pretty hungry after the game so we went to find some food. I really wanted them to try okonomiyaki as it is a famous dish of Osaka. It is sometimes referred to as a Japanese pancake. It is essentially shredded cabbage, egg and flour that is made into a thick pancake type thing. There are many options for toppings such as squid, pork, kimchi, and apparently tomato… Many places were already closed (did I mention that Japan shuts down early?), but luckily we found a place. This place specialized in a tomato-type of okonomiyaki so I was not too excited haha.

Fortunately for me, they had other special types that were so so good.

Unlike Korea, having a grill at your table doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be cooking anything. The soba and okonomiyaki come to you cooked and are simply on the grill to stay warm and add a bit of crisp if you want it. Man, I haven’t had okonomiyaki in a loooooong time…. it really is a Kansai thing. It doesn’t seem to be so popular here (I live near Yokohama, now).

After we were stuffed, we headed home. We may have gone downtown and watched some Olympics with drinks outside, but I really don’t remember what night that was haha.

Day 5 – Riverboat tour and Arashiyama

We originally planned to have a day of rest on this day seeing as we were being quite active up to this point. We shuffled the days around and decided to go hard and have the day off before our move. This would give us enough time to do the necessary things like returning uniforms to our school, packing, cleaning, and all the last minute details.

This was completely the family’s idea. I was happy that they did some research into what they wanted to see. I felt kind of bad basically dictating our activities. I don’t know what interests them so I just made a pretty generic list of things to do.Which, to be fair, are pretty good things to see in Kansai ( I think…).

So, they found a brochure at the information booth near Kyoto Station. It was for a riverboat tour. Of course it was all in Japanese, but it seemed like a nice way to relax and enjoy some beautiful scenery.

Before we get to that….

You guessed it!

Story time~

Well…. It would be me and Pat if there weren’t hiccups along the way. We actually bought these tickets the day before (of maybe two days before… I don’t remember). They were a bit pricey so we bought them using a credit card (not a common thing in Japan… surprisingly). Since this trip was almost booked, we had to get a strange auxiliary seat on the bus and got a weird special ticket. The auxiliary ticket is much cheaper, but like, not a choice? Meaning, you can’t choose the auxiliary seat to pay a low price. It is only offered to you if the bus is full. The best way of describing what this auxiliary seat is, is to think of a Greyhound style bus and then imagine the arm rest folding out into the aisle for someone to sit on. Wow, comfy….Not so important, but note that we had one weird ticket.

Well we were given a time to meet by the bus. Somehow, we weren’t late. We weren’t very early though either….

As we were about to board, we realized we were missing something. Our freakin’ tickets! Of course nobody had the receipt on them. There was definitely not enough time to go home and get them (we lived like an 8min train ride away so if we had been early, we could have been okay…). We tried talking to the info desk lady and there was really nothing they could do. Unless we had the reciept or tickets we couldn’t go on that trip.

Well, we didn’t really want to abandon our plan at this point. The lady’s only solution was to buy the tickets again and then bring our tickets later to get refunded. What a pain. Well, that’s what we did. Now perhaps someone cancelled last minute, I don’t know, but we had to pay the full price. We didn’t have an auxiliary seat anymore.They also didn’t have ‘real’ tickets for us so we just got on the bus haha…

Okay, so we made it. We got on the bus. It took us to a quaint little train station in the middle of what seemed like nowhere. We then got to go on a ‘scenic’ train. It was really cute.

I apparently didn’t take a picture of the train itself. Trust me, it was cute. The pictures I took from the train were obviously not great…. Oh well, in real life, it was quite nice. On the train, you could pay a person to take your photo with a Polaroid camera in the train. Why? what would the backround be? the old train? Why? Especially when every single person on that train had their very own expensive DSLR camera….. I kind of wanted one…

After our scenic train trip, we arrived at the riverboat station. We were put into groups and shown our boats. Pat’s mom and I were lucky and got front row seats! (I felt bad for the family friend as she is a much better photographer and got stuck behind a pole on the boat…. ). Pat and his dad were somewhere in the back haha.

I can’t even imagine the amount of work these guys that were rowing the boat were doing. They were dripping sweat. Yet, somehow, they were like cracking jokes (I assume since everyone was laughing, but who knows, I didn’t understand a thing. Maybe I was the butt of his jokes, who knows? He could have been like “look at this white girl in the front. Her skin is hurting my eyes it’s so pale!” but I have no idea. I am pretty sure I fake-laughed along to whatever he was talking about. Anyway, point is, he seemed like a funny guy), was telling stories and pointing out interesting things to look at on the way.

I guess I don’t have much to say really… It was a hot day. The slight breeze and being on the water felt nice.

At one point in the journey, there was an opportunity to try rowing for yourself. Pat’s mom is not one to pass up an opportunity so she gave it a shot. Not only that, but she surprised the heck out of the guy since she is pretty strong. It seemed like the technique was quite different from a canoe, a kayak or even a rowboat!

The handles had large grooves in them from being rubbed in the same spot many times over. They had to be constantly made wet to ensure they would glide rather than stick. It was interesting.Okay, here are some more photos!

As we got closer to the end, we went buy a market boat. It was selling some packaged goods and some hot things-on-sticks as well. I got mochi (pounded rice cake) and I really enjoyed it. It’s not for everyone, but I like it ^^~.

We eventually got to our end destination; Arashiyama. This was still part of that package we paid for so we were given a free pass into a temple and the gardens. We pulled up to the shore and were given a time and place to meet for the ride home so we had a bit of free time to explore as we wanted to.

Everyone seemed to have a different pace. Pat and his dad like to basically jog everywhere. How they can appreciate anything they see I’ll never know. Pat’s mom and I are in the middle, snapping photos here and there. The family friend is taking her time to get the perfect shots (she can actually take nice photos haha). We eventually split up so she could take her time and not feel rushed. Pat and his dad were forced to slow down a bit.

Here are some photos!

So interesting…

I always feel a bit weird taking photos of tombstones or statues… I dunno, just feel weird for the deceased that I know nothing about and are reduced to a hunk of stone…

So, we made it to the temple. Oh wait. We don’t actually have any tickets to show! I’m pretty sure we had to whip out a receipt or something. The lady didn’t seem to want to deal with us and let us through. She was probably informed of the tour group and knew what was going on.

Hey cicada buddy…. can you like… shut up for a minute??!!

The gardens were, as always, stunning. The main attraction at Arashiyama isn’t the temple or gardens though. It’s the bamboo forest. It is world famous. It is actually so freaking cool! This was my first time going in the daylight. It can make beautiful photos if you are super lucky to find a time when it isn’t crowded.

We were not so lucky. It was so so busy. I’m pretty sure you need to go early early in the morning to get any good shots. Oh well. It is really cool to see though. I recommend it.

After adventuring around on growling tummies, we found some street food. Pat and I got some really good fish cakes. Pat’s mom told us a story of the worst food she has ever eaten, being a slimy and chewy fishcake, so we urged her to try ours. I think she wasn’t a fan still, but at least her image of fishcakes wasn’t ruined forever. No one else was really interested in the streetfood so we set out to find some real food. We found a small cafe and had some pasta. It was pretty good and it felt nice to sit under some air conditioning.

When our time limit was almost up, we headed towards the bus and checked out the gift shop. After a long day in the heat, we finally got back to Kyoto Station. We were pretty pooped.

We got refunded our tickets later that day. Pat had to move fast to get to our house, grab the tickets and go back to the info place before it closed. We couldn’t go on other days because we had our plans all set out and we had to leave before the place opened and wouldn’t return until after it closed. It was kinda stressful haha.

…To be cont.

Japan with the Inlaws – Part 1 Wow, finally, the time has come! Strap yourself in, this is going to be a long one.

#arashiyama #bamboo forest #baseball #dotonbori #fireworks #fireworks festival #fushimi inari #japan #Kyoto #lake biwa #photography #shiga #travel #white girl in yukata #yukata

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