Chapter 23

JAPAN

Monday June 4 ^th 2012 and Tuesday June 5 ^th

Marcus drove me to the airport and dropped me about 6.30 pm for a 9.30 pm flight which was good because I wanted an aisle seat but I needn’t have worried because the plane was only half full. I had an empty seat next to me (I was in the middle block of 4) and so did the man at the other end of the row which was good because we were both able to lie down after a fashion head-to-head. He nabbed our common head rest first but about half way through the flight he sat up and watched movies so then I had it and was able to get a few naps. An unfortunate consequence of this was that he coughed a lot in the night and I think I inhaled his germs as I developed a cold about 24 hours later. At first the entertainment system would not work which nearly made me cry but about 11pm it was fixed – however by then I was too tired to watch movies and there weren’t many good ones anyway.

We arrived at Narita airport Tokyo at 6am Tokyo time (7.00 am my time) so had to put our watches back an hour. Smooth transit through immigration, got my little blue suitcase (right) and sailed through customs. My first priority was to get money and fortunately I had $250 in my purse as I could not use my card, only cash. Exchange rate was about 85 yen to $1.00 so I got ¥16,400 for my 250 dollars. That sounds like a lot but it wasn’t really and I often wished that I had brought a little calculator as the money continued to confuse me – along with many other things!

Off to get a local SIM card for my phone mainly so that I could keep in touch with Madeline. The airport has 4 floors and I was sent to each one in turn - `might be phone shop on ---‘and I’d go there but no phone shop, only to be sent somewhere else. As it was early in the morning not many shops were not open yet. Eventually I found one in the basement near the subway station with a very helpful young man who spoke fair English. He explained that only phones with a particular symbol in them were suitable for local SIM cards and when he looked at mine it didn’t have the right symbol.

I thought the next best thing would be a rental phone and I rented one from him, signed the contract etc but when I tried to phone Madeline I just got a Japanese woman telling me something which of course I could not understand – so back I went to my phone man who tried Maddie’s number with his phone and said `The number is wrong’ so he kindly took his phone back and shredded the contract. I still needed to contact Maddie to tell her that I had arrived safely and would in future contact her via email instead of phone. I found a couple of internet computers, ¥100 for 10 minutes and sent her a quick message.

Next on the list – get myself to Tokyo. I found an information booth in the basement and was given 3 options – bus for about ¥3,000, train to Shinjuku for ¥3,000 or train/subway for about ¥1,600 – the latter was a domestic service stopping at all stations but I was in no hurry as it was still only 8am and I could not check in to my hotel until 3pm. I bought the train ticket and she told me which platform to go to and off I went. Narita airport is about 60 km from Tokyo so it took about an hour to reach the city. Announcements were made before each station in English and Japanese but it often happened that just as the name of the station was announced another train going the other way would whoosh past – so in the end with a lot of signing and pointing to my piece of paper that said Kuramae (which was where I had to change trains) I asked the woman next to me to tell me when we got there which she did. Peak rush hour by now of course but I managed to find a station worker to show my piece of paper to – OECD line or OCDO line – spelt both ways in different places – and he found a little map all in Japanese of course and pointed to where I should go – 10 minutes walking he said.

So off I went dragging my little suitcase behind me and congratulating myself on having brought very little luggage as I couldn’t have managed any more than that. I followed the map, asked a policeman which way to go and eventually located the right platform. The subway system is just amazing – there are 13 different subway lines under the city of Tokyo all crossing and recrossing each other with several lines going through some stations. Before each station announcements would be made - `We are coming to ----- Station – change here for -----, ----- and ----- lines.’

I could never make head nor tail of any of that, not knowing the stations so I was carried on a branch line all the way out to the end of the OEDO line. Everyone got out, I found another helpful station worker and he sent me off to the platform for the return line but again that line took me away from Higashi Shinjuku station and I had to repeat the whole process. I think it was at this point that I thought `I am really too old for this!’ However, I persevered and by now I think I was starting the get the hang of the system and I felt SO clever when I walked out of Higashi Shinjuku station and found the E Hotel – just as they had advertised on the internet – just outside the subway station. Mecca! And it had only taken me 4 hours to get there!

I couldn’t check in until 3pm but I left my suitcase in the lobby and went to Tully’s which is under the hotel and had a very welcome sandwich and a cup of coffee. I had a map which showed a tourist information centre so it was back to the subway and off to Tochomae station and the tourist centre was in Government Building #1 which I found without much trouble. I had hoped to book my accommodation in Kyoto but no luck there – they don’t do accommodation bookings and don’t know who does that but they do book tours – mostly walking/train around Tokyo – and as luck would have it one was just about to leave for the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace which I wanted to see anyway. The tour guides were a Japanese middle-aged couple, very knowledgeable and with good English. There were 5 of us on the tour – a Canadian man married to a Japanese woman and a Scottish couple who live in Hong Kong. I was a welcome addition as the price was according to the number of people so each person reduced the price which ended up only ¥300 – good value I thought for about a 3.5 hours tour.

Off we went – first a short subway trip to Tokyo Central Station then a walk to the Imperial Palace which is actually right in the middle of the CBD – a very beautiful green space. Tokyo Imperial Palace is the main residence of the Emperor of Japan . It is a large park -like area and it contains several buildings including the main palace , the private residences of the imperial family, an archive museum and administrative offices. The total area including the gardens is 3.41 square kilometers. First, we walked round the outside of the palace (I think there is one day in the year when it is opened to the public but this wasn’t it) and then through the lovely gardens which are protected by huge stone walls and a wide deep moat, both of which were built to protect them from invaders. The buildings are about 400 years old but some have been destroyed by fire or earthquakes and rebuilt.

We saw the Peach Blossom Music Hall which was built in 1963. The hall is octagon-shaped and each of its eight outer walls is decorated with different designs of mosaic tiles. We also saw the Tea House which is not open to the public but it is a traditional looking tea house and the surrounding trees make this a very pretty area. To one side of the tea house is a small section of trees. There are 47 different trees with each tree representing a different prefecture in Japan and near that is a pond with some enormous koi carp in it and it was surrounded by the most beautiful and enormous irises. I didn’t have my camera with me as I hadn’t known I was going on a tour when I left my luggage at the hotel – but Sayami, the kind Japanese girl married to the Canadian man, sent me some photos of hers including one of the irises. It was a fascinating afternoon and one of the strangest things about it was that if you looked above the willows and maples you could clearly see the highrise buildings of the CBD – which is where the palatial homes of the feudal warlords used to stand – but you couldn’t hear a sound of traffic noise which amazed me.

We finished up at Kudanshita subway station but by now I was feeling like a pro at this subway business and managed the trip back to Higashi Shinjuku without a hitch. I collected my suitcase, checked in and went to my room which was on the 7 ^th floor – a very tiny room but well equipped and very clean. I needed food so went out and found a 7/11 and bought a bento box and a box of salad then it was back to the hotel and out of the clothes that I had been in for about 36 hours – had a welcome shower, ate my dinner and fell into bed which was clean and comfortable and VERY welcome!

Wednesday June 6 ^th

Great sleep last night – the friendly girl on reception had shown me how to turn off the air-con and open the window as the room was stiflingly hot when I first came in. Bed is beautifully clean and very comfortable – the room is very small and almost filled by the bed – only room to sidle round the edges – but just fine. I couldn’t sleep with the window open because my room looks down on a very busy street and the traffic noise went on all night. I had a lie-in for a while and then went down to Tully’s for a coffee and a sandwich – then off to Tokyo Central for more money and to validate my 7-day rail pass which has to be purchased outside Japan. I feel so smart now being able to use the subway without any mistakes. When I got to Tokyo it was raining and I didn’t have an umbrella but I ducked into buildings each time it was heavy. Tried several banks before I found one that would take my credit card – then someone suggested Citibank and directed me to it. I later found out that most post offices have ATMs that will take overseas cards. Japan is a cash society but at least the hotels will take Visa.

Off then on a treasure hunt to find an office where I could validate my rail pass and after several false starts, I found the right place and what was more a girl who could speak fluent English – there really are not many of those. I validated the pass, got my ticket for Kyoto and instructions for getting the right subway line to connect with the JR train. I was a bit concerned because I had not booked accommodation in Kyoto so looked for an internet café with no success whatsoever. I made sure people understood my request by pointing to the question in my phrase book - `Where is an internet café?’ – and underneath the Japanese words it was written in Japanese script – but nobody knew where there was one and this was in the CBD so you would think … but I drew a total blank from at least 5 people. No tourist information centre either so I concluded that I would just have to wing it and hope to find a bit more information once I got to Kyoto. One thing I did find was a bookshop so I bought a Kyoto Lonely Planet guide book – it had some accommodation in it but it all looked very expensive to me – around ¥10000 a night – so I was hoping I could get something cheaper once there.

On the way back to the hotel I got off at Shinjuku, the stop before mine, and walked all round this very busy shopping district – mostly camera and electronic shops. I walked so far that I suddenly found myself back at Higashi Shinjuku and asked the reception clerk whether there is an E Hotel in Kyoto but she said No and she then tried to look up hotels on the computer in the lobby that is free for guests to use but – like me 90% of the time – could get nothing but Japanese on it. She then gave me the address of a local travel agent and I walked up there but they were closed already as it was after 5. I’ll go again early in the morning as I’d really like to have a place to go to when I get off the train in Kyoto. Went to the trusty 7/11 on the way back to the hotel and bought a bento box and two boxes of fruit – one of fresh pineapple and one of honeydew melon. I had heard that fruit is ridiculously expensive in Japan but that’s not so of cut-up fruit for some reason – my whole dinner cost between $5 and $6 for lovely healthy filling food.

Thursday June 7 ^th

I woke to broad daylight and the roar of traffic down below, glanced at my watch and thought it said 10 to 6 so showered and dressed and when putting on my watch I saw that it was actually only a bit after 5 so I read until nearly 7 and then trotted down to 7/11 for more fruit for breakfast but as I would be travelling from 12 until 3, I planned to have something more substantial in the station before getting on the train. Then it was off to have another try at booking a hotel in Kyoto but the travel agency is situated in a department store and department stores here don’t open until 10 o’clock so I gave up on that idea, not wanting to risk missing my train. I walked to Shinjuku station and got directions for catching the special train that connects with the JR line which is the CHUO rapid line.

I got to Tokyo Central much too early but I filled in the time exploring this enormous station. It is the main intercity rail terminal in Tokyo, the busiest station in Japan in terms of number of trains per day (over 3,000), and the starting point and terminus for most of Japan's Shinkansen high-speed rail lines, the bullet trains (see above). I had a cup of coffee and bought a bottle of orange juice and a packet of pretzels to eat on the train. I didn’t realise that that wasn’t necessary because on all the trains girls push trolleys through the carriages continuously loaded with food and drinks – but I didn’t know that. I was in Car 12, row 7, seat D so I had to stand right where it said 12 on the platform and when the train arrived we all got on and I found my very comfortable window seat with a lot more room than airline seats have but similar in that they tip back if you want to sleep. A couple of minutes later (12.03 exactly!) off we shot though the city and sprawling outer suburbs of Tokyo.

As we left the outlying suburbs the flat land all turned to rice fields – all unbelievably green and not a square inch of land uncultivated – rice if flat or little market gardens, all so neat, and what I thought was tea growing on the hillsides. We could see Mt Fuji in the distance but sadly it was too misty to see the top – you could just glimpse the shape of it. I had no idea the countryside would be so pretty. Finally after about 2¾ hours we pulled into Kyoto station and then began again the search for tourist information. I was almost ready to give up and just go and look for a hotel – there are several right near the station but I knew they would be western and expensive – when suddenly on about the 4 ^th try (up the escalator and turn left, down the escalator and go straight etc) there it was – Kyoto Tourist Information Centre – with about 8 people behind the counter and lots of publications, all free and some actually in English which I had never found in Tokyo.

I got a kind and helpful girl with fair English and I explained that I wanted something clean, non-smoking and not too expensive. The E Hotel in Tokyo had cost me just over $AU100 a night and I was hoping for something cheaper than that. She said I wouldn’t get anything under ¥5000 (around $AU60) a night and then they all put their rates up at the weekend. I asked Wasn’t there anything cheaper? And she said I might try the Econo Inn which actually reduces its rates the longer you stay if you don’t want cleaning or the bed made. She phoned them, talked in Japanese then said to me `The proprietor says that there is no view’. I said I didn’t care about a view – more talk in Japanese and then `The proprietor says that there are beds and mattresses stacked on the landing.’ I said I didn’t care about that and would she please book it for 4 nights? Which she did (¥16,397 for 4 nights) and off I went along the route she had shown me on the map – about a 30-minute walk (probably only 15 minutes really but I had to ask directions a couple of times) but I eventually arrived there.

A narrow little 6 storey building run by an elderly Japanese couple who spoke very little English and I was shown to my room by an ancient Japanese man whom I took to be the father of one of them. The room was perfect – a single wooden box base with a mattress, a doona and a pillow – all immaculately clean – and a little capsule bathroom with shower, toilet and basin. A tiny balcony outside overlooking the neighbours’ back yards, a TV which I never turned on being that it was all in Japanese, a little desk and a stool and a rack to hang your clothes on. Free tea and coffee in the lobby and free internet – same problems as last time but sometimes I could get it to work. Perfect!

I was so delighted with my find that I thought I would treat myself to a meal, not having had anything except orange juice and pretzels since the morning. I was strolling along the street (Kawaramachi-Gojo) and was just passing a shabby little old restaurant when the young co-owner (with his father) came out and almost pulled me inside – no wonder as I was the only customer in there. I decided to have something really different and ordered Obanzai which is a traditional cuisine that has been passed down through generations of ordinary Kyoto locals. It refers to several side dishes which include boiled sea vegetables, boiled herring and eggplants, herring wrapped with sea vegetables, stick codfish, salted mackerel, tofu, boiled daikon (Japanese white radish), fried eggplant and so on. It was served in 6 little bowls that sat on a tray – chopsticks of course which I managed reasonably well. I was starving and ate every morsel – the only thing I recognised was a little bowl of thinly sliced beef but it was all delicious. While I ate father and son quizzed me on where I was from, where I had been and where I still intended going. They were both charming and I loved the meal. After I left there I found the ubiquitous 7/11 convenience store and bought some cut-up fruit which I ate in my room with a cup of green tea from the lobby – and so to bed!

June 8 ^th and Friday already!

Up and dressed early and down to the lobby at 7 for good coffee and internet – then it was off to the station to see about going to Hiroshima and Nara but when I got there, I decided to explore the station first – it’s amazing! All steel and glass and 15 storeys high – you go up these huge long escalators and eventually find yourself on the roof in a beautiful bamboo roof garden. On the level below there is a helipad and adjoining the station is a wonderful department store called Isetan, the whole ground floor of which is devoted to food – so easy for people who work in the city to pop in there for a couple of bento boxes before catching their train home. Beside the escalators are wide stairs with a sound stage at the bottom which are used as seating and one day when I was in the station there was a concert going on there – which really added something to the noise of the station, already loud.

When I came down from exploring the heights I saw the train information centre and found that I could get a train at 9.16 to Shin Osaka but reserved seats were booked out to Hiroshima – however I thought it was worth a punt because the trains all have several unreserved cars as well as the reserved so I booked the first leg and both legs back at 4.00. I thought that would give me time to see the Peace Memorial Park and Museum which was my reason for going. It took 2 hours in the Shinkansen (bullet train) and as we approached Hiroshima I saw that it was raining – Kyoto had been hot so I had on only a t-shirt and summer pants and runners – no umbrella.

We arrived in Hiroshima and I found the Travel Information Centre and the girl there gave me a map and directed me to a tram stop and told me which tram to catch and to get off at the Atomic Bomb Dome which has been kept as a symbol of the disaster and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The location of Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park was once the city’s busiest downtown commercial and residential district. The park was built on open field that was created by the explosion. Today there are a number of memorials and monuments, a museum and lecture halls, which draw over a million visitors annually. The purpose of the Peace Memorial Park is to be not only a memorial to the victims, but also to establish the memory of nuclear horrors and advocate world peace.

The Dome is at the entrance to the Peace Park which is a large park running along by the river and containing the Memorial Hall for the Victims, the Museum (on the right) and the Peace fountain all of which I visited. It’s a tremendously moving place to visit and I wouldn’t have felt right about leaving Japan without seeing it. The Museum in particular is difficult to spend time in and I snivelled my way around it because of all the photos, videos, sound tracks etc telling stories by the survivors who were mostly children at the time, telling of their experiences of hunting for family, seeing people shockingly burned and trying to help them. There were big groups of school children there going round the exhibits and making notes and I wish every person in the world could have seen it. A very sobering experience but I was really glad I’d gone. I then went to the Memorial Hall for the Victims – in the middle is a little fountain dedicated to the memory of all those victims who begged for water but couldn’t be given any because there was no water.

I also went to the Children’s Memorial which is all hung with strings of paper cranes – nearby is the The Children's Peace Monument which is a statue dedicated to the memory of all the children who died as a result of the bombing. The statue is of a girl with outstretched arms with a folded paper crane rising above her. The statue is based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki , a young girl who died from radiation from the bomb. She believed that if she folded 1,000 paper cranes she would be cured. To this day, people (mostly children) from around the world fold cranes and send them to Hiroshima where they are placed near the statue. The statue has a continuously replenished collection of folded cranes nearby. There is a lot more to see too but it was bucketing down by now and I was getting soaked – although it really wasn’t cold, just wet.

Back to the tram stop, by now soaking wet and as I had a bit of time before my train I went into a big department store that is joined to the train station – Fukuya – and made for the food floor as I’d had no lunch. It was called `La La Kitchen’ and occupied the whole basement floor. I walked all round just fascinated with the variety of foods, many of which I couldn’t recognise and all beautifully packaged. I bought some sushi and some pineapple, got a cup of coffee and had a very welcome little feast while watching a concert in the train station given by a group of elderly men and women who reminded me of our U3A choir.

By the time we got back to Kyoto it was almost dark and if my sense of direction is bad in the daytime it’s even worse at night. I had to ask 3 different people before I got onto my road which is called Kawarachi-Dori. The second man I asked sent me off in the wrong direction – no doubt because he couldn’t understand what I was saying. I had a vague feeling that it was wrong but the third man set me right and even ran after me to the corner to make sure I turned the right way – lovely fellow! I’d shopped at a little supermarket just after leaving the station and had bought something on a stick (chicken I think), a salad and a little tub of a dessert - ¥495 the lot! When I got back to the Econo Inn I got out of my wet clothes and had a lovely feast – then off to bed.

Saturday June 9 ^th

I thought I would have a quiet day today after yesterday but there’s too much to see here so I was up early and at the computer at 7 when the free and delicious coffee appears. I had just about finished a long email to the family when Bang! The computer locked and I couldn’t do a thing. The desk clerk came over and tried to help but no luck there – then this really nice American who was working on his own laptop came over and at last got things working again. Gmail had saved most of it in a draft and I sent it – but apparently that one didn’t arrive. I re-sent it later I think with more success. Most places here have free wifi and I wish I had taken my little netbook as I have had endless trouble with the Japanese keyboard and every now and then I hit a wrong key and the screen all turns to Japanese script and I can never find the way to turn it back. No good for looking up things in Google as it’s only Japanese.

Off to the Station and I went first to Train Information to see about Nara on Monday and organised that – then off to bus information to see how I could get to the Path of Philosophy and the Imperial Palace – both on bus routes so I bought a day pass and hopped on the 100 bus which was good because it is called a Sightseeing Bus and gave out the coming stops in English plus showed on a map up front of exactly where we were. I got off at Ginkaku Chi Michi and found the start of this very beautiful walk – didn’t go all the way because it was raining hard by this time and very muddy and a bit slippery underfoot. The Path of Philosophy (right) is a pedestrian path that follows a canal and it’s so-named because the 20th century Japanese philosopher and professor Nishida Kitaro is thought to have used it for daily meditation. It passes a number of temples and I visited one of them in a beautiful garden, all masses of pink azaleas which are often clipped into hedges here and walked all round then retraced my steps towards the bus stop.

They had told me at the bus depot that I could catch a no. 5 bus back – well I should say that I thought they said that and I got on a number 5 which took me way out in the suburbs and I sat there thinking Oh this is nice, I’m getting to see a bit more of Kyoto – then suddenly all the people got off and the driver turned round and made the sign for Finished – one hand in a sawing motion across the other palm. So where was I? He spoke no English and I didn’t have a map. I did remember that a few stops back I had seen a subway station so I set out in what I hoped was the right direction and eventually found it and caught the subway train back to Kyoto Central.

No time for lunch because I really wanted to see the Imperial Palace. The palace is situated in a rectangular enclosure about a kilometer square right in the city which also contains the Sento Imperial Palace gardens. It was the official residence of the emperor from the 12 ^th century to the late 19 ^th century and it is still an imperial property and it all dates from the time when the residences of high court nobles were grouped close together with the Palace and the area walled. When the capital was moved to Tokyo, the residences of the court nobles were demolished and most of the area is now a park open to the public. I caught a number 4 bus but no English announcements were made so I had to guess – I saw a high wall too late but got carried on only one stop and found my way back through a high stone wall into a green paradise. I walked for miles along broad pedestrian avenues and narrow forest paths. Lush growth everywhere and it would be beautiful on a hot day but lovely today also in fine misty rain. Few people in there – a couple of cyclists and a few runners and one corner of the park is given over to a baseball park where a spirited game was going on.

Needless to say, by the time I came out I had completely lost my bearings because I came out a different gate. I walked on wondering whether I was going towards civilisation or away from it. In the end I spotted a subway station and caught a train back to Kyoto Central and because I still had my one-day bus pass I hopped on a bus to return to the Econo Inn. I told the proprietor that I wanted to stay an extra night and paid her for that – only ¥3500 which is a bargain. I was trying to resend my lost email when she came over to me with two postcards – she speaks no English but managed to convey that they were a present for me. She had written on a piece of paper which she also gave me `The pond where the flower of the lotus blooms’. I took her name and address and promised to send her something from Australia.

I went out as it was getting dark to get something to eat and couldn’t believe the crowds in the streets – mostly young people standing on the corners in big groups chanting and holding up laminated sheets. Were they selling something? Were they protesting? I’ll never know. The lights were coming on all over the city – neon everywhere – and raining again but fortunately I had taken an umbrella – there is a container of them in the lobby of the inn and I realised after the first day that they are for patrons to use so I never go out now without one – it’s the rainy season here.

Sunday June 10 ^th

I had seen in the Lonely Planet guide book that Ohara was a pretty bus trip with a couple of interesting temples – it’s the area about 10km north west of Kyoto – a farming area surrounded by hills and as beautiful a place as I have ever seen. I thought I would get an all-day bus ticket as I had done yesterday but for Ohara that cost ¥1200 as it’s out in the country and that was going to leave me pretty well broke but then I decided to do it – a great chance to see more of the countryside so I hopped on a bus (the right one – I double-checked!) and off we went.

It took about an hour to get to Ohara – at first, we were driving through the city but then we crossed the river and followed it for most of the way. This beautiful river (Kamo Gawa) runs right through Kyoto – it has rock retaining walls and concrete pathways and the riverbanks are popular walking and picnic places. Stepping stones cross the river in certain places and apparently the water level of the river is usually relatively low, less than one meter in most places – the area must slope downwards because at intervals there is a flat area like a step making a little waterfall. We drove along beside the river for probably 5 or 6 km and then branched off north east into the hills – a narrow winding road with little houses on both sides in some areas and dense forest in others.

When the bus stopped it was the terminus so no doubt about where to get off and I just followed the other people thinking that they were probably going to the temples also. We followed a winding track with little shops either side and to the left an area like an open air market – had I gone through there I would have seen the temple that I really wanted to see but of course I couldn’t read the signs so I kept going and was soon the only person on the path. It became steeper with a high moss-covered wall on one side and a little gurgling stream on the other. I came to the temple at the top which is called Raigo-in and is the oldest temple in the Buddhist sect of Tendai. I was glad I had come here because I was the only one there and it had a lovely tranquil atmosphere and beautiful gardens where I wandered round for a long time, thinking to myself that it is no wonder Buddhists are calm.

I noticed again when walking back to the bus station that not an inch of space is wasted in Japan – between the houses along the main road were little rice paddy fields or else little market gardens (right) – all beautifully neat – rows all straight, not a leaf out of place. Predictably I mislaid the bus station and had to ask several people – a couple of whom gave me conflicting directions probably because they couldn’t understand me. I finally reached the bus depot where there were – Heaven! – toilets and a drink of water. I got my bus back to Kyoto Central and I thought I should book for Beppu on Tuesday and found I could do it all on my rail pass although the girl in Tourist Information had told me that Beppu is a branch line and I would have to pay extra – but not so! I leave Kyoto at 10.15, change at Shin-Osaka and also at Kakura and reach Beppu at 2.49 – and it really will be 2.49, not 2.48 or 2.50 because these trains are all right on time.

That was all done by about 1.00 so I decided to visit the local temple which is called Higashi Hongan-Ji. It is in the main street that runs parallel to the street I am staying in and it’s the focal point for the followers of True Pure Land Buddhism which is the most popular sect in Japan. Higashi Hongan-Ji means Eastern Temple of the True View and it was established in 1602. The huge Founders’ Hall is the second largest wooden building in Japan – it is 38 metres high, 76 metres long and 58 metres wide. I took off my shoes (plastic bags are supplied to carry your shoes in) and went in, sat down on the tatami matting and listened to the chanting of the monks. After a while a gong sounded twice and the monks all got up and filed out. I would have loved to take a photo but thought it would be rude – and I hesitate to do that anywhere as I can’t read the signs and for all I know they say NO PHOTOS!

I walked round the grounds then and at least took a photo of the huge old wooden gates, now closed, and then walked back to the Econo Inn, stopping enroute to buy a bento box and some fruit. I have been meaning to mention the number of bicycles here – you can hire them for ¥2000 for 24 hours but no doubt many people have their own. I have learned to shoulder check when changing lanes on the footpaths for fear of being skittled because people ride there and rarely ring bells. Lots of motor bikes too and also scooters very commonly ridden by women my age, also a lot of hybrid cars.

Kyoto station was Bedlam today – just to make it even noisier than usual they had a series of school brass bands playing in the sound shell in the station which is faced by the wide stairs of three floors – which makes it like an auditorium – and speaking of school children, they were at Ohara today all in school uniform – do kids in Japan never have a day off?

Monday Jun 11 ^th

Yesterday I had almost run out of money and had just enough left to buy my dinner – today I had ¥75 left which would not even buy me a cup of coffee. In the guide book it said that there are ATMs at most post offices that will give cash advances on foreign cards. As I walked to the station (the post office is next to it) I thought What if today’s a public holiday and the post office and banks are closed? How would I know that? Huge relief as I neared the station entrance and could see people going in and out the post office doors. Even more relief when I found the ATMs and they took my card and actually gave me money! I already have my tickets for Beppu so I could get to Maddie but it would mean a whole day without food.

So it was off to Nara. The train I was planning to go on was cancelled so I caught the 10.37. Gradually we cleared the suburbs with their huge blocks of flats for commuters and then the rice fields and market gardens took over. About an hour later we arrived in Nara which was Japan’s capital from 710 until 784 and was (still is) considered the cradle of Japan’s culture, arts and crafts. It is now registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site. I had a map and it wasn’t hard to work out the direction to Nara Park which is about 660 hectares in area and the home to about 1200 wild deer – I just followed the other tourists.

There were two places I particularly wanted to see – Todai-Ji temple which is the largest wooden structure in the world, and Isuien Garden. According to local folklore, deer from this area were considered sacred due to a visit from one of the gods who appeared riding on a white deer. From that point, the deer were considered divine and sacred but there are notices reminding people that they are after all wild animals and might kick or bite – I didn’t see any of them doing that, they all seemed very tame and the surprising thing is that roads run through the park but they never seem to go on the road. You can purchase Shika Senbel (deer-crackers) to feed the deer in the park and I didn’t do that but the large groups of school children there on school excursions did.

I came first to the garden – it cost ¥650 to get in but worth it – such a beautiful place with ponds, streams, irises blooming around the ponds and water lilies in them. A very tranquil place and cool too with all the running water – it was a very hot day so that was welcome. I found a little seat in the shade and sat there for a long time just enjoying the peace and tranquility. On then to Todai-Ji – it cost ¥500 to get in and again well worth it. It’s a huge temple complex and the main hall is the largest wooden building in the world and contains the Daibetsu or Great Buddha which stands over 15 metres high and weighs 500 tonnes. A supporting post in the Daibutsu has a hole apparently the same size as one of the Daibutsu's nostrils. Legend has it that those who pass through it will be blessed with enlightenment in their next life. There are other statues too – one, a wooden one is said to have the ability to cure pain in any part of your body if you rub that part of its body.

I could see that there were more temples up behind Todai-Ji so I started climbing up the hill – first a steep path then about 100 steps. I was almost expiring from the heat and thirst when I reached the top but the view was magnificent right out over Nara to the hills beyond – and then as I huffed and puffed my way on, I came to another lovely little temple with a basket of cups and an iced water container – lifesaver! The park is huge and I had already walked miles, much of it uphill so I thought it was time I made tracks for the station. I had a map with Nara Station marked on it so off I went in that direction congratulating myself on the fact that this was one day I hadn’t got lost. I arrived at the station, had a wash and a drink and bought an icy pole and then saw a sign Kintetsu Line – not my station at all – no wonder it didn’t look too familiar! Mine was the Nara JR station so it was off again, a few more blocks and I was there.

Coming back in the train there was a group of school children I’d say about Grade 9. One of the boys came over and asked if he could interview me – Sure I said. He had a book with a set of questions and a blank page opposite and he asked me to write my name on the blank page and then asked me the questions – such things as Where do you live? How long have you been in Japan? Where are you going next? What do you think of Japan so far? etc – about 12 questions in all – some sort of school project I would say. He wrote down the answers and then asked if we could be photographed together, his friend had a camera and took our photo and then I gave the friend my camera and he took one of Soda-en and me. I noticed that he was lefthanded and told him that I am too and that all the smartest people are lefthanded. In Australia? he asked. Everywhere! I answered and he was delighted.

When I got back to Kyoto Central, I went for another stroll through the amazing food floors of Isetan, the department store that adjoins the station. All the food looks so tempting, beautifully packaged and presented and very fresh but apart from the things like sushi that I recognise there is so much that I have no idea of – What is it? Is it cooked or raw? All a bit risky but I bought a bento box and some cut up pineapple – at least I recognised that!

Tuesday June 12 ^th

Today’s the day to leave Kyoto and travel south to Beppu. I had another struggle with the computer early this morning and found that at some time I had clicked on some pesky little screen in Japanese that had apparently asked if I wanted it to remember my password – not only that but a little screen appears at the top menu bar every time I turn the computer on with my gmail address in it – some sort of history thing – so somebody only has to click on that and my email will open. The obvious solution is to change my password but I couldn’t work out how to do that and dare not tinker with it so made a mental note to change my password as soon as I reach Maddie’s.

The morning went very smoothly – I packed up my little bits and pieces and checked out early as it was looking like rain and I didn’t want to get caught in it. I went to a station café for coffee and a sandwich for breakfast and sat at the bench next to two women who were puzzling over the subway map. I offered to help them and suggested they go to the Tourist Information in the station when we couldn’t work it out as I’ve found them helpful. They were both American – one from San Diego and the other from San Francisco – we sat and chatted for a while exchanging info and where we’d each been. They asked whether I was travelling alone and pointed out that, quite apart from the advantage of having company, two travelling together is an advantage because many times they have been looking for a sign or a landmark and one has seen it – two heads (or four eyes) better than one no doubt but nevertheless I’m pleased with the way I’ve managed alone.

First leg of the journey was Kyoto to Shin-Osaka. The numbers and times of the trains all go up on an electronic board on the platform as they come due but only the name of the destination and then there’s a whole line of Japanese text next to it. My train to Nara was cancelled yesterday – what if that says Cancelled? I would never know. A train came in, hundreds of school children got out, I got in and a JR worker ran after me shouting Out! Out! I showed him my ticket and he said Next – the train raced out and one minute later another raced in and sure enough that was mine so all was well. Shin-Osaka is only 15 minutes express and then I had 20 minutes to get to the next train which was to Kokura. That took about an hour and a half and then another change, this time to Beppu. The scenery on that last leg was just gorgeous, heavily wooded hills and little villages and rice fields in the valleys. The train went through quite a few long tunnels so was obviously going through the hills rather than over or round them. Maddie met me at the station, how lovely to see her and I threw my arms round her saying Thank goodness I’m with someone who can understand me! We went back to her house on the bus – the house is beautiful, typical Japanese house with tatami matting on the floors – two storey but she’s not using the upstairs as there is plenty of room on the ground floor. She made me a snack as I hadn’t had any lunch – then I changed my password – Phew! That was a relief. A delicious dinner and then off to bed on my futon.

Wednesday June 13 ^th

Had my first night last night sleeping on a futon (actually two as Maddie gave me an extra one in case the old bones didn’t like the floor!) on the floor and found it delightfully comfortable. Nearly cried though when at about 8 o’clock my Kindle died as it has been my constant companion and I hadn’t brought the cord to recharge it. Fortunately Maddie had one the right size and charged it for me overnight.

Below, my room in the daytime and at night.

I set off after breakfast to walk to Beppu Park. This was actually a bit perilous as I have no phone and the street has no name so if I got lost how would I ever get found again? Should I drop breadcrumbs like the babes in the wood? But Maddie gave me good instructions and I took paper and pen to note the landmarks and off I went. I followed the instructions carefully and duly arrived at a huge and beautiful park – like all the parks I’ve seen in Japan immaculately groomed and not a scrap of rubbish anywhere. Lots of variety in trees and terrain – a grove of bamboo, a long pagoda of wisteria, tubs of flowers everywhere and a toilet block so outstandingly clean that I actually took a photo of it.

When I started to walk back to the house, I set off up the wrong road, having come out of the park by a different gate but I quickly realised my mistake thanks to my notes and got back on track. It was hot and sunny, a welcome change from yesterday’s rain and it was good to get home and have a cold drink. Maddie finished her work after lunch and we decided to walk to the beach. It’s actually a lovely beach but this area is semi-industrial and we agreed that swimming might be a bit risky. Warnings along the foreshore tell you what to do in the event of a tsunami – a sobering reminder of the tragedy that recently struck Japan. We walked to the shops and I bought a hat which is something I’d forgotten to bring – and this will be handy for Broome. We had a lovely browse in some really excellent department stores and then had dinner at the Ringer Hut – a splendid meal of dumplings, rice, soup and salad for ¥600 each – then home to bed.

Thursday June 14 ^th

What a lovely lazy day – Maddie had to go to work so I amused myself. First I swept up all the leaves out front – Maddie had already done some because we were a bit of a disgrace to the street – everyone else is so neat and tidy. The garden has a lot of deciduous plants – all in leaf now that it’s summer of course but Peter has been away for some months so nobody here to clean them up. There were thistles growing in the paving cracks so I had to operate on those with a screwdriver – even then some defeated me but it does all look a lot better.

I needed a cold drink after all that – it was quite steamy – then I walked up to a local supermarket which Maddie had taken me to the previous day. I spent a while wandering round looking at the food – the fish in particular is beautifully laid out and packaged as is everything really. I bought a bento box for my dinner tonight as Maddie won’t be home until 8.30 or later. Came home and ate my lunch – cheese and tomatoes on crackers – then lay on the couch reading my Kindle until mid-afternoon when I felt I should do something a bit more energetic so went for another walk. The streets around Maddie’s house are very narrow and wind in all directions. I was very careful to keep orienting myself back to the house as I know that once lost, I could walk for hours without finding it again – it’s a bit like a maze.

I stopped now and then to photograph the manhole covers (on the right) which are about every 50 metres or so and have beautiful carved designs of flowers on them with a frame of bamboo and Beppu written on each one.

Friday June 15 ^th

My project for the day was to book my return trip to Tokyo. As I was walking to the station I began to wonder whether it was a mad idea to go by train – I could get a bus to Oita and fly – but I really wanted to see the countryside again and besides I’ve loved travelling on the bullet trains – planes are very dull compared to the Shinkansens! When I got to the station I first went to Tourist Information and asked `Could I get from Beppu to Narita airport Tokyo in one day?’ and the woman looked very doubtful and said `You could fly’. Yes I know that but I went to the JR Information anyway and got a very efficient girl who spoke a bit of English – I asked the same question and the answer was `Of course’ and she had my tickets all booked and paid for with the credit card in 10 minutes. Beppu – Kokura – Tokyo – Narita – and I reach Narita about 5 – fine for an 8.30 flight.

I went to one of Beppu’s big department stores then for a browse and a coffee and then caught the bus home in time for lunch. Maddie was still working hard so I went out for another walk but it was raining steadily – it looks as though the rainy season has started in earnest. By the time I got home Maddie had finished her work for the day so we slopped our way up to the bus stop – too wet to walk to town – and went for dinner again at Ringer Hut where we had our favourite meal of dumplings, rice and soup for ¥500. We’d been looking at all these amazing boxes of Japanese sweets so I bought a box of lime jellies just to see what they were like and we had two each when we got home with a cup of peppermint tea – delicious!

Saturday June 16 ^th

Lovely day today – Maddie didn’t have to work and suggested we visit Yufuin, a little town (population 11,500) about 25 km inland in the hills. Because it was raining relentlessly (there was a typhoon warning for Tuesday and they said that the university may be closed until Friday) we took Peter’s car and were SO glad we did that as we would have got soaked otherwise. The cloud on the way was very low so you couldn’t see much but what you could see was beautiful – hills covered with very lush greenery and wherever the hot springs were the steam was pouring out of the ground and mingling with the mist. In some places the hot springs were right behind the houses which must have made for a very steamy house (see right).

We parked the car at the station and ventured forth with our trusty umbrellas. Outside every shop was a place to put them in a tub or a rack so that you would not drip on the floor. Our first stop was a shop with a bakery at one end and we tucked into a delicious cream bun each – not like cream buns here but a pastry shell filled with crème patisserie. The streets are lined with craft shops, galleries and restaurants and at coffee time we found a shop that sold nothing but coffee and donuts and the menu was a tasteful little handmade book, beautifully bound, with a photo of each of the various items on the menu.

On we went finding all sorts of delightful treasures – my watch had died the previous night after about 6 years of very good service so I bought a watch with an elegant striped band. It was a tossup between that one and one with buttons for numbers and a tiny pair of scissors for hands!

We splurged on a magnificent meal in an authentic Japanese restaurant for lunch – it was called on the menu `The Beef Lunch’ and arrived on a wooden board – a cup of tea, a lidded bowl of miso soup and a long wooden box with a lid. When we each took off our lid there was a wonderful array of food – at the larger end was thinly sliced beef with onions and noodles on a bed of rice – and in the smaller end was a great variety of little bits and pieces - a whole prawn, a quail tea-egg, a little omelet rolled around a piece of fish, a lettuce leaf, a piece of carrot, a piece of okra, a slice of daikon radish dipped in something crunchy and probably some others that I’ve forgotten. Just lovely.

Much refreshed by that feast we walked on up pretty little winding lanes lined with quaint and interesting shops. The rain continued to pour down but it didn’t stop our fun. Back to the car eventually and home through mist and rain – truly the wet season has set in here. We’d had such a lavish lunch that we only needed cheese and crackers and the cream buns that we had brought home from the bakery in Yufuin – and off to bed!

Sunday June 17 ^th

Last day today and it’s gone all too quickly especially this last bit but actually I’ve seen and done so much that I feel as though I’ve been here for at least a month. This morning it wasn’t raining so while Maddie worked I walked down to Beppu Park and had a look at the Town Hall, a very large impressive building. After lunch we took off for a drive into the hills and stopped at a couple of the hot springs for a look but the steam is everywhere – as you drive along you can see the steam just billowing out of the ground – in fact if you didn’t know better you would say that this was an industrial town as it looks like smoke pouring out of factory chimneys. The hot springs pump out more hot water every day than any other place in Japan.

Then we went for a look at the university where Maddie is teaching for two months. It’s called the Asia Pacific University and has students from many Asian countries – about 5,700 students and half the courses are taught in Japanese and half in English. APU was purpose built 10 years ago – the buildings are magnificent and it’s on a beautiful big site up in the hills from which there would be a great view of Beppu and the sea beyond if it were not for the mist. Maddie showed me the bookshop and the cafeteria where we bought rice triangles which are triangles of rice wrapped in seaweed and with something in the middle – mine was bitter plum and Maddie’s was tuna.

On the way home we shopped at a huge supermarket and bought beer and bento boxes for dinner – delicious as usual – then a couple more of our lime sweets and off to bed – at least for me as Maddie stayed up late working.

Monday June 18 ^th

It wasn’t raining this morning and Maddie came on the bus with me to the station and saw me safely on my way. I don’t think the girl had taken my age into consideration when she booked my tickets as a couple of the connections were fairly tight – Kokura to Tokyo I had to go a long way from one platform to the other and was booked in car 16 and had to run the length of the platform dragging my little suitcase behind me but just made it in time. In Tokyo I almost didn’t – I had to go miles through the huge Tokyo Central Station to get to the line for the Narita Express and one of the escalators wasn’t working so I had to run up about 30 stairs carrying the case. Still, I made it and subsided with relief into my seat. When we reached Narita airport I checked in and then found I had just enough money left to get a meal – I hadn’t had lunch and it would be 5 hours at least before I got anything on the plane so I went to a restaurant and had my last delicious Japanese meal of miso soup, rice and tempura vegetables with a couple of big prawns on top.

The flight home was fine and there was a spare seat between me and the woman in the window seat (I was on the side this time). I didn’t sleep at all but spent quite a lot of time standing up at the back of the plane as a change from sitting down and looking at all those lucky people who were sleeping soundly. Still that was a very small inconvenience to put up with after a really wonderful trip – a challenge at times, right out of my comfort zone but something I wouldn’t have missed for anything.

My runners on the right, new when I left Hobart but after all that walking I threw them in the rubbish in Beppu!