From Hong Kong to Chicago

It's been about a week since my previous blog post, so I think it's only fair that I wrap things up.  The trip is over and I'm home now.  Since my travels are finished, this will be my last post for the blog (*tear*).  I'm condensing about 4 days of activity here, so I'll try to make this as short as possible.

Hong Kong Photo Album - click here

Hong Kong
The first thing you need to know about Hong Kong is regarding the weather - it's hot.  AND VERY HUMID.  When i stepped out of the airport, I felt like I just landed in a tropical jungle.  If you have ever been to Florida then you know what humidity feels like.  As someone who's been to Florida more times than I can count...the humidity in HK is far worse than anything I've ever experienced.

I stayed in a neighborhood called Wan Chai, which is supposedly the "real & gritty" district of Hong Kong.  There you can find lots of ethnic restaurants, little dingy shops, flashing neon electric signs and high-rise tenement buildings - just what one would picture when you think of authentic Hong Kong.  As I made my way to the hotel, I immediately noticed some other things.  Double decker buses and tram cars, British pubs, jockey clubs, and a huge horse racing track near my hotel - it was like Britain had a baby with China...which they did, in a way.  Here is the view from my room:

I immediately decided to do a couple well-known tourist stops in Hong Kong - the Star Ferry from HK Island to Kowloon, and the Victoria Peak.  Hong Kong has a really weird setup - people like to think of it as an island, but it really is many islands along with a sprawling mainland area.  The Star Ferry connects the main "Hong Kong Island" to "Kowloon" which is the mainland section of the city.  This ride only cost me about 30 cents, and it was quite enjoyable.  Here's a picture I took while on the boat:

I hiked my way to famous Victoria Peak cable car afterwards.  This car takes you up to a high point on the island with fantastic views.  It's a short ride, and a steep 45 degree climb up the hill.  You can pay a little extra money to enter a "Sky Terrace," which is totally worth it.  Check out a picture:

While up there, another American guy and I got to talking.  His name was Ardi - he was another solo traveler just like myself.  He was staying in a hostel and suggested that I meet up for beers later that night with some of his friends in the hostel.  At first I was a little hesitant, but I took a chance and decided I would meet him.  I'm really glad I did - I ended up making friends with a whole group of really fun people from all over the world.  As we were hanging out in the hostel lounge, more people kept coming in and introducing themselves...before I knew it, we had a group of around 10 people that was ready to go to the bars.  Here is some of us at a bar called Carnegie's in the Wan Chai district (Ardi is the guy on the right).  Note that I'm wearing my dress shirt from Korea.

We had an absolute blast, and probably stayed out way later than is considered healthy.  We ended up in a district called Lan Kwai Fong, which is apparently the big nightclub district.  This place was totally overrun when we got there - check out all the people in the street:

The hostel group and I ended up going out the next night as well, and we ended up in Lan Kwai Fong yet again.  Two nights in a row of going out took quite a toll on this 28 year-old blogger.  Let's just say that my age is slowly catching up with me.  I'm still recovering from a sinus infection that began towards the end of my trip in HK....the partying may have been slightly responsible for this.

I visited some more touristy locations while here in Hong Kong.  There is a well known attraction called the Man Mo Temple, which was beautiful to see.  I could smell the burning incense down the street as I approached, and the air was thick with smoke when I walked inside.  Here is a picture:

I also visited Macau, which is a separate "Special Administrative Region" (SAR) of China.  This place is a lot like Las Vegas - there are casinos and expensive jewelry stores everywhere.  You have to take a jet ferry to get there, which is about a one hour ride, and then go through customs and everything.  Americans can visit without any special visa requirements.  This place was very strange - there is a huge Portuguese influence, since it used to be a colony of Portugal.  People still speak the language there as well.  The casinos were a big letdown for me, however.  I was hoping to play some craps for a couple hours, only to find out they don't have any craps tables in Macau.  The only games they seem to play are Baccarat and Sic Bo, neither of which I understand.

While boarding the jet ferry back to Hong Kong, I ran into a girl named Anna from the hostel group.  She is also a consultant from Chicago - what a small world!  We decided to meet up the next day and check out some sights.  We visited an art museum, the Hong Kong walk of stars, and a seedy marketplace called Chungking Mansions.  Here is a picture of the famous Bruce Lee statue in Kowloon:

While this post was long, I'll say it was a very watered down version of my experience in Hong Kong.  It was a fantastic city that is truly difficult to describe.  If it weren't for the brutal weather, I could easily see myself living in HK someday.

It's weird to be home now...the fantasy is over and I have to readjust to normal life.  I'm no longer the only white guy walking down the street, and everybody here speaks perfect English.  No more crazy hand gestures to describe what I'm trying to say.  No more mental currency conversions to figure out what something costs in US Dollars.  No more living out of a backpack.  Thanks for reading the blog...maybe I've inspired you to take an adventure like this yourself.  Hopefully I've proved that traveling solo is not only possible, it can still be an awesome time.  Please let me know if you're planning a trip to this part of the world...I'd love to help in any way I can.

Thanks,
Ted

South Korea - Part Two

Today I successfully made it to Hong Kong, and now I'm just sitting in my bed updating the blog.  I'm excited to start exploring this city.  From what I've seen already, it's really weird (but in a cool way).  The unique blend of Chinese and British cultures here is hard to describe.

One other random thing: the blog has now totaled over 1000 page views, which I thought was pretty cool.  Thanks to everyone that has taken an interest in following my trip.

South Korea album is updated - click here

South Korea - Part Two
I decided to explore another famous palace in Seoul - Changdeokgung Palace.  Finding this place was moderately difficult, since there are no signs telling if you if you're walking the right way down the street.  A Malaysian man and his family approached me and asked for help finding it - luckily I guessed correctly and we all found it.  He asked if I was in Seoul by myself, and after I confirmed that I was, he just laughed and shook his head in disbelief.

Changdeokgung was originally built as an auxiliary palace to Gyeongbokgung (the one I saw on Monday) but it became the main palace over time.  Sadly, there are few original structures left due to the repeated destruction from invading neighboring countries.  It's still undergoing restoration even today, but what was there was really cool to see.

Later that night I met up with a local contact - she's an American born girl of Korean descent, currently living in Seoul.  My dad works with her aunt...they helped me link up with her so I could have a local to show me around.  She gave me quite a tour.  We met up outside the famous Gangnam subway station and checked out some of the "young and happening" districts in Seoul.  We went to a well known coffee shop in a neighborhood called Sincheon, where young people go and hang out all day in hopes of seeing a celebrity walk in.  Later, she brought me to an amazing Korean BBQ restaurant, where we ate beef & pork ribs and drank authentic Korean rice wine.  She had all sorts of amazing insight into the Korean culture...the type of knowledge you can't find in a brochure.

My local contact confirmed a number of things that I already had suspected.  Korean culture is becoming increasingly obsessed with money, good looks and superficiality...classic American stereotypes, really.  She also confirmed that Koreans view plastic surgery as acceptable and normal...it's seen as a "rite of passage" for girls graduating from school.  (Clinics even offer discounts if you bring in a recent diploma, or a report card with good grades)  But don't let these negative images cloud your view of Koreans as a whole.  Like every culture, there are pros and cons.  You can expect any society to have growing pains after ascending to prominence so quickly on the world economic stage.

The next day I went to the famous Namdaemon street market.  This is the largest traditional street market in Korea, and it's been running every day since the year 1414.  It was exactly what I expected it to be - massive and crazy.  Frommer's gave this place a 3-star rating (the highest rating) and I was not disappointed.  The saying is that if you can't find it here, you can't find it anywhere...after seeing it, I think it's probably true.

I also tried to find Namsan Park, which supposedly has a cable car ride you can take to the top floor of Seoul Tower.  Sticking with the theme of my time in South Korea, I could not find this cable car ride, even after hiking around for close to an hour.  Add another failure to my list.

Later that night I grabbed dinner at a place called "Mad For Garlic" inside the Times Square Mall.  The meal was tastefully done and not overpowering with garlic flavor.  Chicken rice pilaf, with mozz cheese and roasted garlic:

Then I decided to see a movie.  I watched the new Star Trek film, which I believe just released in South Korea.  Even though I bought my ticket an hour before the showtime, there were only about 5 seats left in the whole theater.  (yikes)  The movie was in English with Korean subtitles...I didn't even notice them after a few minutes.  (This theater at the Times Square mall claims to have the largest movie theater screen in the world.  They were showing a Korean film on that screen so I didn't get to see it)

So what did I learn about South Korea?

If I could describe this country in two words, it would be "America East."  Walking around Seoul was like walking around Chicago in many ways...except everyone is Asian, and there are ancient temples randomly scattered throughout town.  I didn't realize how "western" South Korea truly is, until I went there and saw for myself.  If you are an American ex-pat living in Seoul, you can carry on with your lifestyle without having to change a thing.  You can eat your favorite foods, buy your favorite clothes, see new American movie releases, etc.  I will admit that I only saw the two largest cities in the country, so this statement is probably not true if you live rural.  South Korea was great, and I already miss it...I can see why so many Americans choose to live abroad in this country.

Oh yeah...as promised, here is me wearing my Korean style dress shirt.  (Note: looking like a d-bag is considered fashionable in Seoul, so I had to make a full effort to capture the style)

I'll try to post a Hong Kong update in a couple days.  Stay tuned.

South Korea - Part One

The past few days have gone by really fast, and I just realized I need to make another blog update before I forget everything that's happened.  It's already pretty late here (close to midnight) so I'll try to stick to the highlights.

South Korea photo album - click here

Busan
I boarded the 10:30 AM JR Beetle ferry from Fukuoka to Busan Harbor.  This was a surprisingly smooth trip...it only took about two and a half hours to get from Japan to South Korea, and I was able to sleep for almost the whole trip.  While on the Beetle, I met a couple fellow backpackers from America.  They were doing a 3-month Asia tour...sort of makes my 3-week tour seem tame by comparison.

After arriving in Busan, I learned my first hard lesson about South Korea - getting around is extremely difficult if you can't speak or read Korean.  I knew I had to board the 5-1 bus, and then get dropped off after 14 stops at a bus stop with a name spelled out in Korean characters.  THAT was my plan to get to the hotel.  Of course this plan failed miserably and I ended up hailing a cab to take me the rest of the way to my hotel.  But even that was almost a failure - he drove me around for 15 minutes and could not figure out where my hotel was.  Finally I found the Korean characters for my hotel name (the address wasn't good enough) and he was able to find it.  

(According to Frommer's: Korean addresses are based on the year when a building was constructed, not based on its geographic location.  So even if you have an address printed out, a taxi driver may be helpless to get you there)

Busan was a great time.  My hotel was in a big shopping area called Seomyeon...this was a really happening part of town.  After the sun went down, this place looked like the Las Vegas strip.  Neon lights flashing everywhere, with bars and restaurants on every corner.  On Friday night, there just happened to be a hip-hop concert in the street, which drew a crowd of at least a couple thousand people.  I checked it out for awhile and soaked in some Korean style hip-hop music.

The next day I walked around Chinatown in Busan.  Just my luck - there was a China Culture Festival taking place when I showed up, complete with marching bands and traditional Chinese dancers.  While walking around, I saw a white guy strumming on a banjo.  He yelled to me "Where ya from?" so I walked over to him.  His name was Alan (a native Brit) and he's homeless...he said he's been living that way for decades while traveling the world.  Apparently he's managed to travel the globe and live in almost every country in the world, just from living on charitable donations he collects in the street.  He recommended that I read Psalm 23 and Psalm 91, which I did later that night.  Here's Alan and his banjo:

I also visited the Haeundae Beach in Busan, which was awesome.  It was packed full of people, even late at night.  Street performers were playing & singing music, people were setting off fireworks, and the weather was beautiful.  

Seoul

Boarding the KTX Korail train to Seoul was one of the only easy things I've done while travelling around here in South Korea.  The trip took about 3 hours, and interestingly enough, nobody even bothered to check my ticket on the entire trip.  The ride was comfortable and smooth.  

After pulling into Seoul Station, I couldn't help but feel like I was in an American train station.  The restaurants I saw include: KFC, Burger King, Bennigans, McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, Coldstone, Starbucks, Baskin Robbins and more.  I slowly began to realize just how "Americanized" this culture really is.  

I had yet another logistical nightmare trying to find my hotel.  With the help of a random nice Korean guy, I boarded the correct subway line and got off at the right station near my hotel.  Beyond that, my plan was to simply walk around and look for a Marriott sign.  After stepping outside I saw a big Marriott sign in the distance...I figured I would try to walk it.  It was 80+ degrees outside and sunny.  I'm also wearing my full backpack (my "ruck" in military terms).  While walking I try hailing several cabs, but the drivers just say "no, sorry" even after seeing my printed out hotel address.  After walking for over an hour, I get to the Marriott building...and it's the wrong Marriott.  [Curse word removed]  They were nice enough to call a cab for me and tell the driver (in Korean) where to take me.  

There is a big shopping mall called Times Square connected to my hotel.  I walked around the mall and got another taste of how consumer-obsessed Korean culture is.  The mall was full of international clothing stores and restaurant chains, and it was packed beyond belief with shoppers.  Another thing I've noticed - Koreans are incredibly fashionable people.  Everyone I see is dressed super sharp with very nice clothes...it makes me feel like a bum half the time.  In an attempt to fit in, I bought a Korean-style short-sleeved dress shirt - you will see a picture of this later : )

Today I went to Gyeongbokgung Palace...it was actually the only major tourist attraction that is open on Mondays.  It was beautiful, and I even got to see a ceremonial march taking place:

While here, I learned just how war-torn South Korea is.  It's been invaded so many times throughout its history (by the Chinese and Japanese) that there aren't many original historic buildings even left.  All of their ancient temples and palaces have been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt over the past 1000 years.  Gyeongbokgung was most recently rebuilt in the 20th century, after the Japanese destroyed it during their occupation of South Korea in the early 1900's.  Sadly, only 10% of the original structures remain.

It's really hard to condense everything I've seen...this post ran on for longer than I wanted it to.  More to come later.

Fast Facts About Japan

I've been hanging out in Korea for the past day.  Now that my time in Japan is over, I decided it would be fun to make a blog post with some random things I learned about Japan.  As I see more of Korea, I will try to compare the differences between these two countries.

Fast Facts About Japan

1) The people are extremely friendly, humble, hard-working and honest.  I've never met such a great culture of people before in my life.  You can literally walk up to any person on the street and ask for help.  They may not speak much English, but they will do their best.  Sometimes people will even approach you and offer help randomly.  Not one person ever denied my request for a picture.  (Make sure you learn how to say "Shasin wo totte murae musaka?" = "Will you take my picture?")  Theft is also unheard of in Japan, simply due to the honest nature of these people.

2) Almost nobody speaks English, but everyone knows at least a few words.  Do yourself a favor and PURCHASE A PHRASE BOOK.

3) There are no garbage cans in Japan.  Inexplicably, the streets of Japan are spotless...almost like they are hand scrubbed every morning.  You will not see litter anywhere.  Yet...there are no garbage cans.  If you have trash, you will probably end up carrying it back to your hotel room.  (There are lots of recycling bins for bottles, however)

4) They use a lot of coin money.  Everything under 1000 yen ($10) is in coin form.  As you spend money, you will begin to accumulate a LOT of coins.  If you don't make a specific effort to spend the coins, they will continue to pile up.

5) Public transportation is simply amazing in Japan.  It's clean, modern, and always runs on time - down to the minute.  It puts the Chicago CTA to shame.  You can get basically anywhere by using the train or bus system.  Once you use it a few times, you get the hang of it pretty quickly.

6) The food is delicious and varied - you will not go hungry.  In spite of the miles of walking I did each day, I found myself not losing any weight.  Sigh...

7) Japanese TV makes no sense.  That is all.

8) Ichiro Suzuki (just "Ichiro" in Japan) is a national treasure.  If you don't know who he is, he's a Japanese-born NY Yankees baseball player.  His face can be seen on TV and local advertisements everywhere.

9) The Japanese LOVE all things America.  If someone is wearing a baseball cap, there's a good chance it's an American MLB team.  People can be seen wearing shirts with English words on them...and sometimes the words don't make any sense, but it's still "cool" to them.  This is similar to Americans who get Chinese letter tattoos and don't even know what they mean.  The Japanese love American fashion brands, American fast food chains, American baseball...heck, they just seem to love America.

10) There aren't any non-Asian people in Japan.  Well there are...but very few.  Be prepared for people to stare at you in disbelief as you walk down the street.  Even I found myself doing the same thing when I saw a white or black person in public.  Also, be prepared for groups of Japanese school kids to yell "Hello! How are you?" any time they spot you on the street.  They never miss an opportunity to practice their English skills.

My Last Days in Japan - Nara, Osaka and Fukuoka

As I write this, I'm sitting down Indian-style on the floor of my room at a "ryokan" in Fukuoka, Japan.  This city is located on the southwest side of the country in the Kyushu region.  And what's a ryokan, you ask?  It's a traditional Japanese style inn, usually family-run, with Japanese style rooms.  The room is very spartan...my bed is just a (not very padded) mattress on the floor, and bathrooms are shared among all guests.  I wanted to try one of these rooms before leaving Japan, so it's fitting that I stay here for my last night in this country.  Although I'll admit, it's a hard transition considering I stayed at a magnificent 4-star hotel in Osaka last night.

Full Nara photo album - click here

Nara
After leaving Kyoto, I made a day trip to Nara before while en route to Osaka.  Nara is approximately 45 minutes by train in between Kyoto and Osaka.  It's a very historic city (like Kyoto) and it used to be the old capital of Japan once (also like Kyoto).  My guide book told me that if I only have one day to spend in Nara, go straight to Nara Park.  So I checked my giant (40 pound?) backpack at a locker in the train station, and went straight there.  (I kid you not, the backpack is heavy as all hell)

Nara Park is famous for its local deer population - the deer will walk right up to you and you can feed them crackers.  This was simply unbelievable coming from America, where if a deer hears you break a twig it will dart off before you can even grab your camera (or rifle, for some).  Seeing was believing - the rumors were true.  I bought some "deer cookies" right away and was anxious to feed them.  I pulled them out and fed one to a deer, and then a mob of deer surrounded me and started bumping their heads (and antlers) into my legs. They saw the cookies, and did not stop until all of the cookies were gone.  All the locals thought it was hilarious and laughed at me as I was mauled by a group of deer.  Lesson learned - CONCEAL the cookies.

There are over 1000 deer in Nara Park and the Japanese revere them as spiritual entities.  It is a grave offense to harm these deer.  For a long period of time, they were viewed as more valuable than humans under the law.

While in Nara Park, I checked out a number of ancient temples.  The park is truly massive, and going from one landmark to the next can take over 30 minutes of hiking.  Here is me at the famous Todai-ji Temple:

The Todai-ji temple was the largest wooden structure in the world up until 1998.  It houses the world's largest bronze statue of Buddha, which must have been about 5 or 6 stories high and weighs 500 tons.  It has been destroyed and rebuilt twice over its long history.  I also went to the Kasuga-Taisha Shrine, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site and was founded in the year 768 AD.  The path to this shrine is famous for its stone lanterns.

After seeing these sites and feeding a lot of deer, my legs were spent and I made my way back to the train station.  The one thing I will note about this place - it's completely unique.  It has a rich and ancient history, and no amount of money can create a deer population that is accustomed to interacting with humans.  That must have taken generations (centuries?) of humans treating the deer kindly - and the deer slowly learned to trust people.  There is no place like this on earth, and if it is ever destroyed, there will never be another like it.

Full Osaka photo album - click here

Osaka
While in Osaka, I stayed at the Monterey Grasmere Osaka, which is conveniently located right by the JR train station.  This hotel was insanely nice compared to my other ones...gotta splurge a little bit right?  Here is the main lobby:

Since the weather was rainy and cloudy I decided to spend my day in Osaka at its famous aquarium.  Supposedly it's the biggest aquarium in the world, but I got through the whole thing in about an hour an a half at a leisurely pace.  Unlike the open setup of the Shedd Aquarium, you follow a path through the aquarium and you cannot revisit sections that you pass.

It was a very nice aquarium.  Afterwards, there was a street performer doing a show outside who I watched for at least 30 minutes.  His show was simply fantastic.  He could juggle flaming pins, stand on a ladder, juggle while on a ladder, do magic tricks, etc, and he kept the audience laughing the whole time.  He picked on me almost right away since I was the only white guy in the audience (I sort of expected this to happen).  He would say his lines, and then turn to me and say them again in broken English.  He also made me hold this pink "Love" sign during his show, as a joke.  Here is me and the amazing Mr. Apatch - I hope you are lucky enough to catch his show if you are ever in Osaka:

Fukuoka
Today I took the shinkansen (bullet train) for the last time - another 2 and a half hours southwest to Hakata Station in Fukuoka.  While on the train, we passed through Hiroshima.  I was astounded to see that the city is a sprawling modern metropolis.  You would never be able to tell that a nuclear bomb leveled this city back in 1945.  I even saw a Costco from the window of my train car.

I didn't have a lot of time to explore Fukuoka, but I did visit a sushi restaurant that my guide book recommended.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me, but the sushi was affordable and excellent - only 200 yen ($2) for a plate of 6 wasabi tuna rolls, for example.  You would make your request directly to the chef and then he would make your order right in front of you.  They had every kind of sushi you could ask for - even whale (sigh...)

The ryokan, my hotel, is like staying in a person's house for the night.  A little dog greeted me at the front door.  The owners are an old married couple and they live downstairs - the hotel actually is their home.  My room is very empty, except for a mattress on the floor and a TV.  Interestingly enough, however, the wi-fi connection is probably the best I've had yet in Japan.  Here is my room:

I need to go to sleep...it's getting late and I leave for Korea tomorrow.  More updates to come as soon as I get the chance.  Sayonara, Japan...the time went by too quickly.

Fortune Favors the Bold - Kyoto, Japan

It seems that luck and fortune are playing a recurring role on this trip.  I have had a streak of repeated bad luck omens over the past few days.  I'm not a particularly superstitious man, but it finally reached a point where I was beginning to worry.  After spending a day in Kyoto, it seems that maybe my fortune has turned around.

To recap - my first bad luck omen happened in Tokyo at the Senso-ji Temple.  I played the fortune game and drew the dreaded "Bad Fortune" card.  It seemed like fun and games, like "Look at me I'm a tourist and I'm playing this game I don't understand!  How fun!"  Then things started to get weird.  While doing the Hakone circuit, a black cat slowly crossed a lonely street right in front of me as I was walking.  Time began to slow down as this happened...and then the cat turned around and just stared at me.  Plenty of time for me to take a picture of him.  (See my Hakone album)  "Aww come on! You've got to be kidding me!"  I said aloud.  Then I wondered: how many bad luck omens even exist...are there any more I haven't received yet?

After preparing to leave for Kyoto, I went to the train station and had the staff reserve me a seat.  Reservations are not necessary, but they guarantee you a seat so I figured why not.  I stuffed my seat reservation in my pocket.  When I went to board the train I looked at the ticket to find my seat.  Train car number 13...seat 13A.  OK, at this point I'm officially scared.  Wouldn't you be?

Kyoto photo album - click here

Kyoto

My hotel is right near the train station, and it's the nicest hotel I've stayed at so far.  Hotel Hokke Club Kyoto is clearly set up for international guests.  The staff speaks pretty good English, and they provided me with an English "information guide" when I checked in.  There were also a ton of Americans slob tourists walking around by the front desk.  If you ever visit Kyoto - definitely book a hotel by the train station or you will have a hell of a time getting around town.  In the picture below, Hokke Club Kyoto is on the left, and Kyoto Tower is on the right.

In Tokyo, you have to master the subway and train lines if you want to get around.  Here in Kyoto, the bus system is king.  The Kyoto train station is the main terminus for most of the bus routes.  I hopped on the bus and headed for Kiyomizu-dera, which my guide book listed as the #1 must see location in Kyoto.  It's an old Buddhist temple founded in the year 798.  All of the present buildings are almost 400 years old.  This place was difficult to find...check out my photo album to get a better idea of what I mean.  When I finally got there it was absolutely beautiful.  I know you've heard this before, but the pictures don't do it justice.

While walking around, I happened upon a class of kids heading down these stairs into an underground area. (There are school kids literally everywhere in Kyoto - must be a popular spot for field trips)  A guide explained that you are supposed to hang onto a hand rail and make your way through a dark corridor.  Then you enter a room with a turning stone and make a wish.  This place is called the Womb of Zuigo-Bosatsu.

He kept talking about how I need to grip the hand rail...I was like "Yeah whatever, hand rail, got it" and made my way down the stairs.  I followed the kids down the stairs, and it started getting darker.  Then all of a sudden the light began to completely disappear...then it was gone.  It was pitch black...I couldn't see an inch in front of my face.  I kept walking, and I gripped the hand rail like I was hanging onto the edge of a cliff.  How much longer would this tunnel go for?  Should I turn around?  Yeah, I should turn around and go back right now.  Crap...if these school kids can do it so can I.  Just keep walking...this went on for a couple minutes, and I experienced true fear...the real kind of fear where your primal instincts kick in and warn you that your life may be in peril.  After what seemed like an eternity, I saw a dim light, and I saw the stone turning in the center of the room.  I made a wish on the stone, and the exit wasn't far away.  It felt like I went through a spiritual transformation after braving this tunnel.

Lo and behold, the fortune game was also located in this building.  I marched over there and played it again - this time I received the 2nd luckiest fortune possible.  The man assured me this was "Lucky lucky lucky fortune."  My spirits were high.  I continued walking around Kiyomizu-dera and saw a Buddhist ceremony, complete with warrior monks standing guard in full uniform.  There were countless other curiosities here.

Before leaving Kiyomizu-dera, I also purchased a "Safety Travel" good luck charm.  After the dark tunnel and the lucky fortune, I believe this charm represents the knockout punch to any bad luck that has been following me on this trip.  Only time will tell I suppose.  After leaving, I made my way north to Maruyama Park.  This park is stunningly beautiful.  It's the nicest park I've ever seen in my life.  The park also has ducks walking around that allow humans to pet them.  Note the name of the park - do you think there's any relation to Mr. Maruyama from the sumo match?  

After exploring here, I went to Gion, which is the Geisha district.  I did not see any real life Geisha, which are traditional Japanese female entertainers.  According to my guide book, the only way you will ever meet a real Geisha is if you are politically connected to very powerful men in Japan,   The book goes on to say that "No amount of money will do - you must know somebody personally."  

My last stop for the day was at Nijo Castle.  This place used to be the nerve center of the old shogunate that ruled feudal Japan when Kyoto was the capital.  The grounds were amazingly beautiful, and they also allowed us to walk around inside the palace.  When entering, we had to take off our shoes - this is also a recurring trend on this trip to Japan.  No pictures were allowed inside...they even specifically mentioned no "sketching pictures" either.  The most famous thing about this place is the wooden floorboards - they are made to chirp like nightingales when people walk on them.  They were made this way on purpose to alert guards of any ninja trying to sneak around and assassinate the Shogun.  Hundreds of years later, the floorboards still sound like nightingales.  The original paintings on the wall are still intact as well.

While walking around the castle grounds, it was incredible to think that samurai warriors used to walk around in this same place and call it home.  Today it was filled with slob tourists, but the beauty of this place lives on.  I feel lucky to have been here, and wish I had more time in Kyoto.  Tomorrow I'll be in Nara, and tomorrow night I'll be in Osaka.  Let's hope my luck has turned around.

From Tokyo to Hakone

My time in Tokyo is over and I've spent the last day in Hakone, which is a small mountain resort town outside of the Tokyo city area.  After the craziness of Tokyo, spending a little time in rural Japan feels wonderful...it's been a much-needed opportunity for my mind and body to recover.  This will be a LONG update, since I need to catch up.

Tokyo album received its final update

Last Hurrah in Tokyo

I finally summoned enough energy to hit the nightclubs in Tokyo.  The jet lag really does a number on you, so there was no way I could go out for drinks within my first two nights.  But I finally adjusted to the time zone change and going out was a blast.  I went to Roppongi, which is the night club district.  Everyone told me this is an area almost specifically set up for foreigners visiting Japan - they were right.  I navigated my way to Roppongi on the subway, which was over a 30 minute ride.  Comparing this to Chicago: if my hotel was in the north side near Wrigley, then Roppongi was all the way down in the south side - it was lot farther than I expected.  That's just how Tokyo is set up...it's very spread out.  No matter where you stay, you will be a 30 minute train ride away from at least one place you want to visit.

I found Gas Panic, which was the club my buddy Mike told me about on the airplane ride.  Before walking inside I was thoroughly harassed by men in the street trying to get me to check out the strip clubs they were working for.  These guys all spoke fluent English and they spotted me from a mile away.  Being an experienced city guy I know the drill, so I easily brushed them off saying "yeah maybe later" and continued on my way.  It actually reminded me of Vegas, since they were snapping little cards and handing them to you.  Walking inside Gas Panic - it was small, filled with cigarette smoke, and they were playing "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore.  I grabbed a beer, and a group of white guys walked in and sat next to me.  They were a group of traveling friends that goes to cities all over the world - I was pretty jealous after hearing some of their stories.  They were made up of an Australian, a British guy, and a French Guy.  I ask "got room for an American guy?" and they were happy to let me join their gang for the night.  We checked out some other bars, danced with the locals, and had an awesome night.  Here is a partial shot of our group - the British guy isn't in this pic.  The girl is a local who the French guy seemed pretty interested in.  We also met a British girl and added her to our crew later in the night.  And go figure, the British guy in our group took a strong liking to her.

The next day I checked into the capsule hotel and did some more exploring.  I checked out a neighborhood called Shibuya, which is the big shopping district.  The famous "Shibuya Crossing" is also here, which is a 5-way intersection that literally hundreds of people cross all at once.  While in Shibuya, I checked out Shibuya 109, a high end women's shopping mall.  This place was other-worldly.  Girls are walking around in bizarre outfits, and despite the cultural gap I can tell these are the rich spoiled "valley girls" of Japan by the way they talk and act.  Ironically, they stared at ME in disbelief when they saw me walking around - an average looking white guy in jeans and a long sleeve shirt.  Context is everything...that's all I can say.  To them, I was the strange curiosity.

I also checked out a Pachinko parlor.  These places are literally everywhere in Tokyo.  You basically just put money into the machine, and then a bunch of metal balls start bouncing around and falling through the machine.  While this is happening, the TV screen in front of you shows these anime-style warriors fighting each other, and loud exciting music begins to play.  I had no clue what was going on, but I do know I lost my 1000 yen bet. (Relax - it's only 10 dollars)

The capsule hotel was surprisingly nice.  You take your shoes off immediately when you walk inside, and put them in a locker by the front door.  Then they provide you with a loose-fitting comfortable outfit and you change into it.  The outfit must be worn at all times inside the hotel.  The hotel was six floors, each containing different things to do.  There were a couple different recliner lounges, a massage area, a restaurant/cafe, a sleeping room, a "Manga Room" (where you can watch anime DVD's), a bathing area/spa, free computer terminals, and of course the capsule area.  With so many amenities, I was surprised they charge only $40/night.  I got my first taste of Japanese style bathing here, where walking around naked is a cultural norm.  The spa was nice...I soaked in a hot tub for a bit.  My photo album contains a bunch of pictures from the hotel, but obviously I did not take any pictures of the spa/bathing area.  Sleeping in the capsule wasn't so bad either...the main drawback is you can hear other people snoring.  

Hakone

After checking out of the capsule hotel, I rode the "Shinkansen" (bullet train) to Hakone.  Thanks to the unlimited one-week Japan Rail pass that I ordered in advance, boarding the trains is a breeze.  If you ever visit Japan and want to see multiple cities, this pass is highly recommended.  It's only available to foreign tourists...it can be ordered online, and they express mail to you in the US before you leave.

Full Hakone photo album - click here

Hakone is a mountain resort area about 45 minutes outside of Tokyo.  This area is famous for its "onsen," or natural hot springs.  I got sort of a late start to my day and didn't arrive until 3 PM.  Finding the hotel was extremely difficult...it was tucked in a small side street, and the front sign was written in Japanese kanji.  For the second time in a row, my hotel tried to put me in a smoking room despite the fact that I reserved non-smoking (at a higher price, no less).  I refused to let them do it.  The Japanese guy called the front desk and I heard the word "gaijin" come out of his mouth, but I got the room I wanted. (Gaijin means "foreigner/outsider," and it carries a negative connotation).

My hotel is near Yumato Station, which is on a street filled with little shops and restaurants.  Very nice...except all of the shops shut down at 5 PM, and the restaurants close no later than 7 PM.   I barely had enough time to grab dinner before it was too late.  While I was eating, a white couple walked in and looked terribly confused.  I offered to help them out with the menu...the guy said "I don't like any of that raw food, ya know."  I would see them again the next day (today) and we talked outside the 7-11 for close to an hour.  They are from Canberra, Australia, and offered to show me around if I ever visit the land down under.    He gave me his business card - very nice folks.  Shane and Glenda:

While here in Hakone, I did the famous circuit which involves exploring the area by train, cable car, rope way, boat and bus.  Great views, and I even got to ride in a pirate ship.  The circuit can be done in a few hours.

I also visited a couple different onsen (hot springs), which was utterly fantastic.  When you walk into an onsen, you must either purchase a small towel or bring your own.  It's small...like a hand towel.  And that is all you bring with you into the hot spring area - no clothing allowed.  At first it's a little uncomfortable walking around totally naked, but when in Rome.  You get used to it quickly.  The onsen has religious meaning for the Japanese, so there are other rules you must follow.  The towel must not be dipped into the water.  You can either wear it on top of your head, or place it on a rock nearby.  No pictures are allowed anywhere inside the building or hot springs either.

The hot springs contain a heavy dose of natural minerals...I'm not sure what's in the water, but it almost put me to sleep when I stepped in.  There is also a sauna, steam room, and a tub filled with icy cold water.  It's exhilarating to go into that tub - the water is so cold, you can feel your heart begin to slow down.  Then you go from that into a hot spring - wow!  You feel like a million bucks when you leave the onsen.

And I feel like a million bucks right now.  This trip is the coolest thing I've ever done in my life.  Thanks for reading this blog and following my adventure.  Please send me an email or Facebook message if you want.  It's really nice having people to talk to back home...it keeps me grounded.  OK time for bed - until next time.

A Couple Days in Tokyo (Part Two)

Right now I'm sitting at the free computer terminal at my capsule hotel.  This place is actually pretty nice...its like a 6 story spa with different things on each floor.  More on that later.

Full photo album - click here

Day Two
Started the day by going to Asakusa, which is the historic Buddhist area of Tokyo.  The main draw here is the Senso-ji Temple.  Apparently this was a very old temple that was destroyed during WW2, and the current version is a restoration of the original.  When you get there, you go through the Kaminarimon Gate and then walk through a long row of little shops.  It was extremely busy here.  You can buy little trinkets, temple cakes, etc.

There were burning cauldrons of incense, and people would walk up to them and waft the smoke all over their face and clothes.  I also noticed people shaking these containers and pulling out chopsticks.  I learned this was a game where you draw a numbered stick, and then open the drawer with the corresponding number to get a fortune.  I decided to play this game myself and drew the dreaded "Bad Fortune" card.  A helpful guide insisted that it's not so bad, since "bad fortune is beginning of good fortune, so OK."  After getting bad fortune, you are supposed to tie it to these wires to essentially give it back and reject the bad luck.  I made sure to do this since the last thing I need is bad luck at a time like this.

The inside of the main Senso-ji temple had a beautiful arrangement that was fenced in

I stopped into the Tourist Center in Asakusa and grabbed some great high altitude shots from the top floor.  Drank some lemon tea and then made my way to the Tokyo Sky Tree.  I believe this is the largest structure in Tokyo...it's really quite massive.  You can go up to the top of it, but there was a craaazy line so I skipped it.  While there I tried the local McDonald's.  Everyone has insisted it's better here in Japan, but I honestly thought it was the same as American McD's.

  

My last stop for the day was Ryogukan, where I heard there is a Sumo wrestling arena.  After a little internet research I discovered, by pure chance, there is a tournament going on right now.  These tournaments last only two weeks, and are only held six times per year.  How lucky!  (Take that, bad fortune card!) Not only that, but I was able to get a ticket...the only affordable tickets were total nosebleed seats, but I didn't care.  The tourney is an all day long event...you can stay all day long if you want (once you have a ticket) but most people don't stay more than a few hours.  There are bouts happening nonstop (maybe every 3-5 minutes), with brief ceremonies taking place occasionally.  

The bouts are pretty short...they end when one of the wrestlers can push the other guy out of the ring.  Most bouts only last about 10 seconds or less.  Occasionally something really crazy happens.  One guy was about to get pushed out and then spun around and threw the other guy out instead...the crowd went nuts.  While I was watching, some old Japanese guy approached me and asked if he could sit down next to me.  I was just like "sure, why not."  He wanted to talk about baseball.  He was a big baseball fan, and said his favorite team was the Osaka Tigers.  He also rattled off a bunch of American baseball players he liked.  His English was pretty bad, but I was just humoring him so I did my best to make conversation.  Then he tried explaining that he had an extra ticket to a different section and he wanted me to join him.  He flashed the ticket stub and I could immediately tell it was different from my stub...his looked...expensive.  He gestured for me to follow him and pointed down towards the ring..  He was like "Ring side seat.  You come with me."  My reaction was basically one of disbelief but I just said "screw it" and followed him.  We walked for what seemed like forever, and then entered the ring side seating area.  As we kept walking closer to the ring, I kept wondering how nice these seats were actually going to be.  Each row I passed gave me a feeling of euphoric disbelief.  It finally hit me - this guy was a total VIP.  How on earth is this happening?  Our seats were within 10 rows of the actual ring....these are like $1000 seats.

He was with a group of friends, and they all wanted to talk to me and find out more.  I chatted them up about Chicago, and how my trip was so far.  Each sentence required me to rapidly flip through my phrase book.  There was a big communication barrier, but it didn't really matter.  His friends-

Once again - take that, bad luck fortune card.  They gave me tea and teriyaki chicken kebabs, refusing to let me pay for anything.  I decided that I simply must do something nice for them.  I managed a phrase "let me buy you a drink."  I walked around and found a waiter.  I asked for "ocha" which is Japanese green tea, served "atsui" (hot).  The waiter asked to see my ticket stub, and I showed him the new one I got.  The waiter asks "You know Mr. Maruyama?"  I respond "Hai" and he says "Tea is free.  Everything is free for Mr. Maruyama.  No charge." 

Whoa.

After watching the fights from the VIP section for a bit, I decided it was time to go.  The woman on the right in the above picture wrote down her address and insisted I mail her pictures.  Mr. Maruyama gave me his business card, but it's all Japanese so I can't really read it.  I still don't know just who this man is, but clearly he is "kind of a big deal around here."  What a day.  .  

A Couple Days in Tokyo (Part One)

The past two days have been surreal.  I feel as though I've done and seen a week's worth of things, and this trip is really just getting started.  I'll try to remember as much as possible while I write this, and give true justice to the fantastic nature of my experience here.

Full Tokyo Photo Album - click here

Day 1 (yesterday)
First I went downstairs for breakfast.  There is a "San Francisco Cable Car" restaurant attached to this hotel, and they serve a choice of either Japanese style or European style breakfast.  I opted for Euro style, which consists of an egg over easy, a small salad, yogurt, toast and sausages.  The coffee is delicious...ALL of the coffee in Tokyo is beyond comparison to what we drink in America.  Then I started the day by just walking around and exploring the area near my hotel.

My hotel is in a district called Asakusabashi, which is a relatively quaint district of downtown Tokyo.  I'm very happy with the hotel choice that I made...it's not a big tourist hotel, and the neighborhood is authentic Tokyo.  I haven't seen a single non-Japanese person within a 5 block radius of my hotel.  People almost stop dead in their tracks when they see me walking down the street, like "Holy crap it's a white guy."   With the exception of big tourist stops in Tokyo, it is very uncommon for me to see a fellow white person.  When I do, it honestly catches me by surprise.  We usually give each other the silent "nod of approval" and continue on our way...sometimes stop and talk for a minute.

After walking around, I mapped a route to Akihabara, which is the big electronics district.  Anytime I want to go somewhere, I Google map the directions and write them down on a piece of paper.  The street names are sometimes written in Japanese characters, so I just have to draw a crude map of what the route looks like and hope I find it.  Akihabara is crazy...every store is either selling electronics, DVD's, video games or anime comics.  There were suspiciously young looking girls standing around wearing ridiculous schoolgirl outfits and headbands with furry ears....they were the "hired talent" to convince you to buy lunch inside a certain cafe.  They did not allow their picture to be taken.  I visited "Super Potato," which is a world famous video game store/museum featuring classic video games.  You can buy old Super Nintendo games, Sega Genesis, you name it.  It also features arcade games, which I played a couple of.  I also stopped at a massive 8 story Sega arcade.  A bunch of guys were playing a "Gundam" game, so naturally I jumped in to join them.  After about 2 minutes an employee came over, refunded my 100 Yen, and told me I was not allowed to play.  I think they were playing in a league or something : )  Another famous store is "Gamers" which sells anime comics.  Some of the things I saw in there are WAY too inappropriate for me to post in this blog.

Later that day I decided to visit the Imperial Palace, which is near the Tokyo Station - this is the main train hub in the downtown area.  While I was walking towards the palace, some guy walked up behind me and was like "what's up." I ask "so are you American?" and he confirmed.  He was also walking to the palace so we decided to help each other find it.  His name was Josiah, and he said he was a cop from Sioux City, Iowa, visiting his brother who was retiring from the Air Force.  I told him my cousin Chris is the state representative in Sioux City and he's like "Chris Hall?  Yeah I know him, he went to North High School!"  What a small world.  He said Chris spoke to the police association and was a supporter of the local police.  We also added a third English speaking member to our group - a woman named Sarin who was from Singapore.  Afterwards we parted ways,

For dinner, I decided to walk around and find a "real" Japanese restaurant near my hotel.  I happened upon a little restaurant called "Moon." It is sort of scary to walk inside a place and have everyone just stare at you in disbelief, but I'm getting used to it.  I soon realized after walking in that nobody in there spoke a lick of English.  Luckily I have a phrase book that has been my lifeline.  However, the menu was also entirely in Japanese, so I knew I was in trouble.  I found a phrase in my book and said to my waitress:  "please decide for me."  The chef looked at me and was like "sashimi?"  I knew that was raw fish, so I just responded "Hai, OK."  They brought me out a 3 course meal that started with sashimi, then a delicious stew, and then these fried pancake looking things.  I pointed at the dishes (after eating them) and asked the waitress "namae?" which means "name" and she tells me the names.  The stew was "Nikujaga," which the phrase book defined as "meat and potato stew."  The pancake things were called "Satsumaage" which were...gulp..."minced fish patty mixed with vegetables, fried in sesame oil."  I knew something was off about the texture...but I'm still glad I tried something I would have otherwise never eaten.   The experience felt like one of the coolest things I have ever done.

I was hoping to visit Roppongi last night (the Tokyo nightclub district) but got hit with a wave of tiredness after dinner that I could not overcome.  I'll try to visit tonight.  Gotta run...I'll have another update as soon as I can.