Home Sweet Home!

We took off a little later than scheduled last night, but we only arrived about 10 minutes late in Adelaide.  John had told my daughter Hayley that I'd be flying over their house on Yorke Peninsula at about 7.00am so she went out with the kids to wave to me.  The sun was coming up as we flew over, so the plane and its trail were glowing orange.

Hi Granny!

The flight was awful - one of the bumpiest I've ever had, but I managed to doze for about an hour, greatly helped by the fact that I had two seats to myself.

When the plane stopped after landing we were all asked to remain in our seats as we had a quarantine issue.  Eeek!  Apparently someone became very ill during the flight and this had to be checked out.  We only had to wait for about 5 minutes and then I cleared through passport and customs and at last got to see John who was waiting for me.  I'll be watching out for signs of the plague.

It's lovely to be home and I had fun emptying out all the goodies from my bags.  I've certainly had an amazing three weeks and I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful husband who encourages me to achieve my dreams.

Now, what's next???

A missed photo!

Just found this stray photo that I took this morning in the loo of the hotel - had to share!

Kawaii floral arrangement!

Taking it easy in KL

May 01

Nothing much to report today – but I made it to the airport on time and I’m sitting comfortably in the Plaza Lounge at Kuala Lumpur.

I had enough time to have breakfast before making my way to the station.  Happy to report that I took the right road and got on the right train!  I was pleased that I got on the train at the first station, as it was pretty crowded by the time it got to the airport.

My baggage was fine.  The carry-on baggage went a bit over, but as I only had the backpack besides that, I don’t think they were too fussed.  I got the backpack plastic wrapped, mostly to avoid the risk of the whole thing bursting at the seams and distributing all my kawaii items all over the airport.

I had a very smooth flight to Kuala Lumpur and was pleased that I booked into the Plaza Lounge.  I had a nice dinner and a coffee and then used the free Wi-fi to Skype John.  I’m feeling sad that I’ve left Japan but happy that I’ll be seeing my man in the morning.

I’m just about to go and have a shower and then take it easy till flight time.  I didn’t even take any photos today but here are a couple of pictures to express my feelings.



Thinking of leaving Japan

 

Thinking of seeing John
 

Kate's Last Stand

(For April 30) 

At last – a sleep in!  I took it really easy this morning as I’m S-O-O-O-O-O tired.  I didn’t leave the hotel until about 10.00am.  My first task was to walk from the hotel to the Nankai Railway Station to make sure I don’t stuff it up tomorrow.  There is an intersection near the hotel, with one road heading for the JR Railway Station, one to the subway station and one to the Nankai Station.  I’m now familiar with the road that goes to the subway station, so I was able to take the right road to the Nankai Station.  I went as far as the ticket gate and checked the whole procedure, and felt confident that my sense of direction won’t let me down in the morning.

I went browsing around the Namba City and Namba Parks shopping centres and bought a few cute things.  Next stop was Starbucks for a chai latte and a bit of decision making.  As the cinema was nearby, I decided to go to the movies.  I saw Arnie in ‘Rasuto Sutando’ (that’s Last Stand for those who aren’t familiar with translating Japanese ‘loan words’).  The film was in English but with Japanese subtitles.  I did my best to keep up with reading the subtitles, but wasn’t 100% successful.  I did learn how to say the word that literally means “crap” but can be used for “dammit” or any other expression of annoyance or anger.  It’s probably a bit hard to subtitle an Arnie movie in a country where manners are paramount.

Need undies for your horse or zebra - go to Osaka!

Lunch was a sandwich and cake sitting on a wall while everyone rushed past.

I then took the subway to Shinsaibashi to visit the Tokyu Hands shop.  This is a shop full of the cool and cute little things that are always popular in Japan.  I must have heard the word “kawaii” (cute) at least ten times during my visit.  Well justified too.  There are loads of really cute stationery items and I had to buy a few to tuck in the very few spaces left in my baggage.  One of my favourites is a staple-less stapler made by Harinacks.  I’m not sure what I liked most, the item or the brand name.  I did have a silly grin on my face for a while.

My last night in Osaka and what did I do for dinner?  I bought some stuff from the kombini and took it back to the hotel!  I just felt like I’d had enough of people and I wanted some quiet time.

After my delectable feast, I emptied everything out of all of my bags and started the process of sorting out – heavy or light, allowed in cabin or not allowed, needed during transit stop or not needed and what needed to be accessible to declare when going through customs.  Quite a task for a weary traveller!  I can’t believe how many Doraemon books I bought (I think it’s eleven!).

I broke up the task by having a Skype chat with John, but couldn’t put it off after that.  I helped it along with a beer - in a stylish bottle, I might add.  Here is the picture to prove it.

 

 

 

I have no idea how much my baggage weighs and don’t have any scales to check.  The check-in baggage won’t be a problem as I have a 30kg allowance and will only be checking in the backpack.  My carry-on bag could be an issue, but I’ll find that out at the airport.

My last task was to book a wake-up call just to be on the safe side.  I want to fit in my last Toyoko Inn breakfast (even though this hotel doesn’t do my favourite rice balls) and then I’m going to the airport earlier than I need to, as I’d rather stroll around the airport with no stress than worry about making it in time.

Shopping in Osaka

(For April 29)

[Note: Just in case anyone notices, I need to put the record straight.  My issue with the overcrowded elevator was when I was leaving Hamamatsu, not when I was leaving Kyoto.  Just in case you wonder why I wrote the same thing again!)

Another early train trip today to go to back to Osaka where the journey began.  How quickly it has all gone but it's been such an amazing experience.

I planned my timing very carefully this morning, but failed to allow for the fact that this hotel has only one elevator, and I needed to get down to the ground floor during the very busy breakfast/checking out time. When the elevator arrived, it was packed full of people. Not even Twiggy with a small handbag would have squeezed in, let alone me with two pieces of luggage. I waved them on, and waited for the next run. After descending to the ground floor, the elevator went right back up to the 12^th floor, dropping off the people who were returning from breakfast and then came back down picking up more people to go down. By the time it got back to me on the 7^th floor it was full again! ‘Hotel California’ came to mind. I decided to give it one more try, but on the third occasion, I gave up and lugged my bags down seven flights of stairs.

From the train window - a mix of agriculture and industry

The journey was very uneventful and very fast!  I got off the shinkansen in Shin Osaka and took the subway to Namba.  I had no trouble finding the hotel this time - it's just like coming home!  After dropping off my bags, it was time to hit the shops.  I had a lot of fun in the 100 yen store.  One of my purchases was a bag of dried peaches which were really nice.  I realised afterwards that I'd eaten the equivalent of about 12 peaches which probably wasn't a very smart idea, but all was well.  I could have stayed in the shop all day, but I have to fit whatever I buy into my bags, so I've got to be careful.  I did buy a tote bag from another store, but want to try to stick to my handbag if possible.  The tote bag says "Girl is made of sweets and spices.  Therefore, also the highest one for your fashionable life."  Well, who could resist that!

The crowds in Osaka were unbelievable.  As everyone is on holiday, it felt like everyone in Japan was in Dotonbori.  Walking up the shopping street was like walking through the Tokyo Railway Station in peak hour!  I walked along the riverside to see if I could find the cool little restaurant that we visited on a previous visit, but I couldn't find it.  It could be that it's no longer there, but it could also be that I wasn't looking in the right place.

Shopping - lot's of shopping

I bought a scrumptious banana parfait for lunch.  I intended it to be a snack, but I didn't need anything more after that.  I sat and ate it by the river and just watched the world go by feeling very relaxed.

I browsed through so many shops it made my head spin and my ankles swell again but I had a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon.  The weather was quite humid but it was fine in the shops where I spent most of my time.

Koinobori flying in Dotonbori in readiness for Children's Day on May 5th

I'd made my way to the Shinsaibashi area by dinner time, so I stopped in at a little restaurant for dinner.  There was a family, perhaps German, who got there just before me.  The husband/father seemed quite annoyed that there wasn't an English menu and he disappeared leaving the wife and daughter to eat while he went somewhere else (McDonald's maybe?).  No sense of adventure!

I made it painfully back to the hotel and sorted out the spoils of the day, then chatted with John for a while before bed.

Last day tomorrow - I hope my feet make it through another day.

Sightseeing in Hamamatsu

(For April 28) 

I had a very early start today to catch the shinkansen to Hamamatsu (the birthplace of Honda!). 

I made it to the station with plenty of time to spare and tried to get some good shinkansen photos for Ulla to show to her school class.  The trains come and go so quickly, it’s difficult to click at the right time but I managed a few shots.  The advantage of the shinkansen is that it looks exactly the same from both ends, so it doesn’t matter if it’s coming or going.

For the record, this one was arriving

 

I settled in to my comfortable shinkansen seat – which is like a plane seat, but with more leg room – and soon we were hurtling our way to Hamamatsu.  I had to change trains at Nagoya, so I was careful not to nod off.  This was the easiest train change I’ve ever had to do.  I got off the first train, which then went on its way, then my second train arrived at the same platform.  I wish every change could be so simple.

I arrived in Hamamatsu and my penfriend Toshi was there to meet me.  We dropped off my bags at the hotel, then hired a car to go sightseeing.

We went for a long drive up to Harunocho in the mountains.  The scenery was beautiful with many rivers and steep tree-covered mountains.  Toshi pointed out patches of light purple flowers among the greenery.  They were ‘fuji’ or Japanese wisteria, often seen in the headwear of geisha.  They were really lovely growing out in the natural landscape.

We visited the large Tengu mask – a bit of a fierce looking character (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tengu if you're interested in this red-faced long-nosed guy.)

Tengu with Toshi and with Kate

 

This place was also the birthplace of Tetsuzo Shirai, a famous director of the Takarazuka Revue.  There is a statue and a small museum showing some early photographs, posters etc.  We took a bit of time looking around the area.  There was a ‘gang’ of scooter riders who arrived, reminding me of our earlier journeys in Japan.

 

A nice view from the front of the Tetsuzo Shirai Museum

On the way back down from the mountains, we dropped in to a roadside stop with a shop and the lovely smell of cooking food.  We had a really nice rice ‘thing’ for a snack.  It was cooked rice moulded into a shape around a flat stick.  This was then dipped into a delicious sauce and cooked over coals.  It was really tasty!

Our delicious morning snack

 

Now that's my kind of vending machine!!

Our next stop was to be the preparation for the Kite Festival which will be held next weekend.  This festival is held every year in May at the Nakatajima Dunes in Hamamatsu and attracts a very large crowd.  I hope to be able to make a trip to see it one day.

We were a little too early for the kite preparation, so Toshi took me to the Book Off store that we’d seen earlier.  I was able to find a couple more books for the collection.

We then went around to the area where the kite was being prepared, which was a short walk from Toshi’s house.  There was a large group of people working on the kites, and some young people who blow trumpets and bang drums during the Festival.  It must be very exciting to see and hear.

Preparing the kite

The kite had bamboo struts and had to have strings tied across it to bend it, and then the strings for flying it were attached.  It looked like a very skilled operation that has to be done properly to enable the kite to fly properly.  It was very interesting to see the kite close up and to see what was involved in preparing it.  Once it was ready, it was put in an upright position (and tied to the balcony of the house so it didn’t blow away) and photos were taken.  Someone then brought around small cups of sake and everyone yelled ‘kampai!’  Toshi will put some photos on Facebook after the Festival so I’ll be able to see how it went.

The finished kite

 

After that, we drove around the Lake Hamano area and past the sand dunes where the Kite Festival will be held.  There is an amazing white bridge which we crossed over.  Unfortunately, my photo doesn’t really do it justice, but it was a very unusual design.  During this part of the outing Toshi stopped and bought a taiyaki, which is made from a batter cooked in a fish shape with sweetened bean paste inside.  It was really nice.

A very unusual bridge

 

Really?

We went back to our starting point and I checked into the hotel and took my bags upstairs, before heading off to a nearby izakaya.  We had edamame, gyouza, sashimi and an egg dish.  Oh, and of course, beer!  I also had a very nice mikan (Japanese orange) flavoured drink which I’ve forgotten whether it was sake or shouchu.  I believe it was shouchu, but I'd already had my giant beer by then, so I forgot.  “What’s the difference?” I hear you ask.  Sake is brewed and shouchu is brewed and then distilled.  It was similar to our Bacardi Breezers or Vodka Cruisers and I’m sure that if I’d had more than one I would have really regretted it.  One was very nice and it was a nice way to end the day.  I was so very grateful to Toshi for taking the time to show me around and I hope that we can return the favour one day.

KAMPAI!!

Farewell to Kanazawa and Giggles in the Book Shop

(For April 27)

When I emerged from my much-needed sleep this morning, I heard strange voices in the house.  The Hyakuman’s son, daughter-in-law and two grandchildren (aged 3 and 6) had come for a visit.  They very kindly gave me a souvenir from Kyoto – an nice fabric iPhone case and a souvenir face washer.  Everyone has been so good to me!

I watched a bit of ‘Tomasu’ (as in 'the Tank Engine'), read a book about different coloured hats which belonged to different animals, and watched the 6 year old producing some origami objects.  I also gave a demonstration of the noise a koala makes.  They were all quite surprised that such a noise could emerge from such a cute creature.

The Hyakumans took me to the station and we said our farewells at the gate.  It was sad to part from them as they have made me very welcome and have been so helpful to me during my stay.

I met up with Ulla on the platform and we boarded the train heading for Osaka.  I left at Kyoto to spend one night there before heading off to Hamamatsu in the morning.  As my time in Kyoto was so short, I deposited my bags in a locker at the Kyoto Station so I could go sightseeing straight away.  Well, almost straight away.  Firstly I went to the nearby shopping area to find lunch.  With so many things to choose from, it was hard to make up my mind, but I eventuall settled on takoyaki (octopus balls) with onion and a tasty sauce.  I had 8 of them, which was a little excessive as they make them big here!

Lunch in progress

...and the finished product!

 

Who's missing??

With a tummy full of octopus, I found my way to the bus stop and took the bus out to the Philosopher’s Path.  This is a very  pleasant walk along the side of a small river, with many temples and shrines along the way.  During cherry blossom season, it is said to be even more beautiful, but I enjoyed a lovely stroll on a lovely day despite the lack of blossoms.

 

 

 

 

 

Along the Philosophers' Path

 

Ladies in kimono along the Philosophers' Path

I took the bus back to the station, then lugged my bags to the hotel.  It was nice to be back in my ‘haven’ of a Toyoko Hotel room.

Petrol station with no bowsers.  The hoses are suspended
above and pulled down when in use

After a Skype call to John, I set off to find the Book Off store which was within a reasonable walking distance from the hotel.  I was looking to add more Doraemon books to my collection and went in armed with my list.  I showed the list to the young man at the counter and asked where I would find these books.  They were located upstairs, and as the shop guy’s workmate came along to look at the list too, the first guy gave him a good smack in the face as he gestured that they were upstairs  We all had a good laugh and I had to try to stop giggling as I made my way up the stairs.  As Book Off is a second-hand book store, I don’t ever expect to get exactly what I want, but this time I was in luck.  There was only one Doraemon book in the store, and it happened to be the one that I had marked with an asterisk as my ‘most wanted’.  The shop assistant was most apologetic that there was only one, but I was very happy with my purchase.

Having made a special effort to remember that I needed to turn left as I left the shop, I managed to make my way back to the hotel without getting lost – even despite the fact that there were two Lawsons kombinis, two other Toyoko Hotels and a bit of a sleazy guy to confuse me along the way.  I bought a light dinner and some breakfast for tomorrow at one of the kombinis along the way, so I’m all set for my very early start tomorrow to catch the train for Hamamatsu at 7.06am.