Our Korean adventure ...and beyond

Hong Kong -"the fragrant harbour", was our last and the shortest trip out of Korea.
With Nick having only 1 day holiday left + the weekend, Maja and I set off a few days before to prepare the ground.

Before coming to Hong Kong we were a bit puzzled with "where would be the best place to stay". When we asked some different friends who had already been there, they gave us opposite suggestions all implying their options were the best.

Hong Kong comprises Hong Kong Island (the commercial heart of Hong Kong, almost futuristic skyscrapers with the offices of Asia's leading banks, trading companies, upmarket shopping malls and top class hotels) , Kowloon Peninsula ( mainly industrial and residential area with numerous factory outlets, street stalls bargains but also museums and parks), Lantau Island (the new airport, Disneyland) and The New Territories ( a big chunk of the mainland China ,mainly rural areas good for hiking) and some 260 other islands.

After some speculation we decided that we preferred to look at the famous Hong Kong skyline from the other side and stayed on Kowloon Peninsula in Tsim Sha Tsui (TST) area. Although the most touristy it was also the most convenient place to stay -we got a good hotel deal -5 mins walking distance from the waterfront and Star Ferry that takes you to and from Hong Kong Island.

We arrived on wednesday evening, checked in at the hotel , quickly refreshed and went out for a bite to eat and to check out the neighbourhood. On the way we decided to get some take away and eat at the waterfront.
We followed the sign to the pier

and suddenly we were there with the most dramatic view of the city I think I have ever seen

It was the evening but still too early to be very dark. On the other side of the harbour we saw a silhoutte of mostly silver towering builidings with their peaks cut off in the clouds that hang over them like an old fashioned ladies' hat - covering and at the same time revealing but never giving the whole picture.

Unfortuantely looking at our snaps you might wonder what I am on about as they don't come anywhere close to what it really looked like !

I am a nature lover and don't usually get easily impressed by modern architecture. Although I always appreciate the original designs and brave ideas I have never felt like "WOW" until now.

The combination of the modern buildings, the green bushes in the background appearing and dispappearing from the palette of grey and dark blue clouds made the harbour look amazing as if it was one huge modern construction floating on the water or hanging off the clouds, depends which way you looked at it.

We got to the pier just in time for the Symphony of Lights - orchestration of music, decoration and laser lights and a pyrotechnic fireworks display with commentary in English and Chinese depending on the day of the week. The show takes place every evening (weather allowing) at 8 pm and lasts for about 13 minutes. With 43 buildings on both sides of the Victoria Harbour and participating in the show it made it to the Guiness Book Records as the largest permanent laser and light show in the world.
It is definetely worth a watch and can be best observed from the waterfront of TST (Avenue of Stars) or from the deck of the ferry.

After the show we decided to take a walk to the Star Ferry Terminal to check the opening times etc.
Having collected enough leaflets to organise our stay we went to Hong Kong Cultural centre -located just by the waterfront -to have a nose around and sit with a coffee/juice and plan our next few days.

The following morning the weather still didn't look very promising. We sat at the hotel by the huge glass window eating our breakfast and having watched people getting soaked on the street below we decided to go to the Ocean Park - although located mostly outdoors it also has a variety of indoor activities and some of Asia's biggest aquariums. We took the subway to get to the other side of the harbour and then a bus to the amusument park. The rain was easing a bit so it was actually all right to walk around in our raincoats. The park is located on the sides of the mountains of Aberdeen and offers fantastic views of the channel and mountains on the other side.
It is divided into 3 levels which can be reached by riding the cable car or using one of the world's longest outdoor sets of escalators. With a big variety of thrilling rides suitable for different ages, theatre shows (dolphins and sea lions),birds aviary , feeding schedules,some best aquariums in the world (Asia's biggest shark aquarium and world's largest reef aquarium), sea animals art and craft activities and many many more it should make a good day out for anyone not just a family with kids. Although it remained rainy and sticky for most of the day and we could not get on some of the rides as they were not operating due to the weather conditions or with Maja being only 4 -we were not allowed, we had a brilliant time! We left the camera at the hotel so we have no snaps from there but here is a good link for those interested to get a taste of it

http://www.travel-images.com/hong-kong17.html

While on the bus ride to/from the park we were able to have a closer look at the towers and buildings that we were admiring the night before from across the harbour. I was under the impression that the first (outside) "layer" of the buildings were grand but as we travelled further into the island more and more of the buildings looked pretty tired, neglected and were a big contrast to their flashy neighbours.... On the way we passed the Happy Valley with Hong Kong's Royal Jockey Club and also the cemetary which made a powerful impression on me, maybe because I always associate them with quiet spacious places on the outskirts or outside of towns and this one was quite the opposite -sunk somewhere amongst the buildings it looked so out of place -yet again all these souls were buried just there to rest in peace. It made me realise how every possible square meter of the Island had been used up.

The next day we went to Lantau Island and planned to go for a walk along the beach as well as to see the Big Buddha. We took the subway to get to the island and then a bus (about 1 hour drive) to get to the Buddha and the temple. There were some stunning views as the bus kept climbing up the mountain, the island looked pretty unspoiled and a nice place for hikes.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't any better then yesterday and just got worse as we got to the Buddha so we gave up on walks and we only hoped to get a glimpse of the Buddha from amongst the clouds!

We still had to walk up plenty of stairs to get a closer look at the Buddha

as well as the misty view below:

Once back in Kowloon we had a walk around the hotel area in the opposite direction to the pier. The streets were busy and the air so humid that we quickly decided to get back to the hotel especially as we didn't fancy any shopping and most of the streets were occupied by shops and traders. Maja didn't take long to fall asleep while I waited for Nick who was arriving later this evening.

Disneyland

It was an early start next morning and a big day for Maja -her (and ours ) first visit to Disneyland.
Thankfully the weather had totally changed overnight and we had a sunny day.

Disneyland is also located on the Lantau Island and you can get there by subway. The last part of the journey is on "Disney Resort" line where the train has Miki mouse shaped windows,statues of different Disney characters etc.
Maja just could not wait to get off that train ....she was sooooooo excited!

And so we arrived.

For some reason we didn't think it was gonna be that hot and didn't take any sun cream. With the sun getting stronger and stronger, Maja's white and easy to burn complexion and no shops selling sunblock on the horizon, we were in trouble. If you ever get yourself in such a situation remember there is always First Aid or Emergency room. Although the staff seemed a bit suprised with our request we got the cream and could enjoy the rest of the day without worrying about the sunburn.

So here there was no plan, we followed wherever Maja wanted to go. She made sure she got to say hello and get a hug from nearly all of the Disney classic characters which involved just a little bit of queueing:

Then we went to watch the 3D opera:

And after that the parade:

Having done and seen so much, there was still 1 character Maja kept on looking out for -the beautiful Cinderella.
She had seen her palace at the entrance and finally, towards the end of the day we spotted her near the gates. But as we joined the queue we were told that CInderella was finishing greeting kids for the day and was now going for dinner....just imagine our reaction....I told the woman they should block the road or something so other kids would not be able to see her and get their hopes up. However sorry I felt for Cinderella who had probably been smiling without the break for the last 10 hours (unless they had a twin sister) and was in need of a break and some food, I could not tell Maja that Cinderella wouldn't see her. There were simply no words in my mind that would justify the reason without breaking Maja's heart. So I went on and on, even said something like "We came here all the way from London to see Cinderella....", and after few minutes the woman took us on the side and advised that Cinderella will be passing through the nearby gate in a few minutes and if we wait there she will ask Cinderella to see Maja.....I was somehow suspicious that she was only trying to get rid of us but all we could do was to go to the gate and hope she would turn up.
I think the woman must have indeed said to "Cindy" that we came all the way from London as once she arrived she spent a good 5 minutes with Maja

and Maja.......................................................................................................................... was in heaven:

It was definetely worth the effort!!!

After that someone discovered the toy story zone and we were there forever!

Although it was hot and crowdy, watching Maja having so much fun and innocently believing in the fantasy world we were in made our day and at the end of it we were all sad to leave:

The next day we went to Hong Kong Island and took a tram on the 106 years old railway to the Victoria Peak. In the old days before the tram had been put in place, most people were carried to and from the Peak by the sedan chairs. The ride up is 1.4 km long and pretty steep but guarantees some fantastic views of the city on both sides of the harbour.

We spent some time on the top enjoying the views

and then came back down and walked around the Central. As it was sunday, the streets were closed and there were Filipino maids nearly everywhere you looked , sitting in small groups on mats with cool boxes, eating food or playing games. It was an extraordinary view because there were so many of them gathering just anywhere enjoying their only day off work.

As this was our last day and we didn't have enough time to walk the streets as we would like to, we took yet another tram. This time the 90 year old ricketydouble decker tram line operating through the centre from the west to the east side of the Island.

It was very old and narrow inside the tram with many people on it as it is the cheapest way to move along the route. We went on the top deck and after some time managed to get a seat. The train slowly transported us from the modern glamour of the commercial city, through the local markets

selling probably anything you wanted to the poorer residental districts in the east. We were glad we sat on the top as if we were at the bottom we would probably only see the nice shop windows etc. Being above allowed us to see more than just a glitz and tinsel of Hong Kong -the collosal numbers of apartments that looked like they were just piled on the top of each other. I couldn't help wondering how long it could all hold on.....

We spent our last evening in Hong Kong cruising the harbour and looking at the twinkling lights of a city with a great history that definately deserves more of the tourist's time than the average 24-48 hour shopping stopover in between other destinations.

And being there only a few days, looking at it from different heights and directions we felt like we hadn't seen it at all!

Lotus Lantern Festival is held every year in spring to celebrate Buddha's Birthday which falls on the eighth day of the forth month of the Lunar Calendar. It is an official holiday in South Korea and festival includes many programs for Buddhist as well as non -Buddhist locals and tourists to enjoy like - making lanterns, sampling temple food, traditional Korean games etc.

Although only 15% of Korean population (according to most statistics) consider themselves to be Buddhists at the moment -The Lotus Lantern Parade was definetely the most bright and colorful event we had seen in Korea. It attracted crowds of people of all ages,

from Korea as well as other countries,

that marched joyfully through the central streets of Seoul bringing the sounds of drums, dancing and chantings for enlightment and peace.

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The parade was a real race of lanterns that came in many shapes and sizes, home made or state of the art ones representing different temples and Buddhist groups in shapes of the Buddha or Buddhist monks

scary dragons, animals and other creatures.

We only wished we knew more of what they were symbolising.

Our favourite however was a group with instruments made out of recyclable materials. They were definetely the most original and enthusiastic ones amongst the parade!!!

We ended the evening with the dinner in the restaurant near the temple where all the lanterns where going to, so we could still watch parts of the parade and enjoy the noise.

Just a few days before the festival, our friend from London Kai and his girlfriend Wisky arrived in Seoul for their holiday in Korea and Jeju Island.
Although they had their own itinerary and understandably wanted to spend as much time as possible in their own company, we managed to hook up with them a few times!
We all went on a cruise on the Han river, to celebrate our birthdays with a buffet dinner, some drinks and "live entertainment"! Although it was cheesy and as the average age of other cruisers indicated most popular amongst the elder Koreans, the food was good and so was the company so I think we all enjoyed it although we all lacked in courage ( or drinks consumption) for the boogie on the dance floor.....

We always associate Japan with beautiful cherry blossom trees but Korea can be proud of them too.
When spring arrived blossoms seemed to be nearly everywhere but they looked most impressive in big spaces, attracting people back to the parks with their families, mats and picnic basket. It was an awesome view when the petals were flying in the air blown off the trees by the slightest wind.

Spring was my second favourite season in Korea, if not in the same place as autumn. It seemed as if it came overnight swapping shifts with winter, painting the city with colour, bringing warmth and fresh breeze of a not so fresh here air.So apart from our routine life of work, school etc we also took every opportunity to go to parks and enjoy the outdoors.

We also walked the streets again but usually without the camera, so haven't got many great snaps but here are some of my favourite:

"Spring" - a shell shaped sculpture in the centre of Seoul

Some street performances:

An original display of Korean dresses:

And a shop with some pretty fancy shoes (awaiting your orders):

With the winter over Maja had to stop her weekly acrobatics on ice but we soon found a replacement - a ballet class in the nearby centre. It is all conducted in Korean so I wasn't sure how Maja would find it but she didn't seem to mind and just followed the teacher and the other kids.

She also had to say good-bye to her school teacher who was leaving Korea and doing some more travelling in Asia. She'd been really good to Maja and Maja had grown very fond of her, so as a farewell, we all went to dinner in a Buddhist restaurant that served "vegetarian temple food".

This month we didn't like:

"the yellow dust/cloud or sand dus/cloud" - the unpleasant side of spring in Korea and other Asian countries, it originates from the deserts of Mongolia, China and Kazahstan and is carried eastwards over Koreas, Japan, Russia as sometimes as far as the US . The clouds components include many toxic pollutants from solphur, ash, carbon minoxide, heavy metals such as mercury, copper, zinc etc, and also different viruses, pesticides, bacteria and what have you. As the cloud comes and goes sporadically the warnings are issued on TV, radio as well as sent to you mobile. Depending on the scale of the wind you are either advised to keep your outdoor activities to a minimum and while outside to wear a mask and shower properly from head to toe on your return or in the extreme cases refrain from going out, stay at home and keep your windows shut.
The list of side effects is probably as long as the list of its components so won't go into the details here but the main ones are -decreased invisibility (as its nickname indicates -the air looks yellow and leaves a layer of yellow dust on everything after the rain -best seen on cars if you brave enough to draw a line with your finger...), variety of health problems from sore throats to asthma and could be fatal for those who already have respiratory problems,harmful to wildlife, farmlands....and so it goes....

HIROSHIMA

It is difficult to say why we came to Hiroshima. All other cities we had visited in Japan where the obvious tourists hot spots, rich in cultural heritage and filled with countless attractions and fun things to do.
Although plenty of tourists visit Hiroshima every year I find it difficult to put it down on the same list of places we've been to so far.
The city's main attraction is ironically one of the greatest human tragedies, a terrific disaster to its nature and its people fully scripted and actioned by powers of other human beings on the 6th of august 1945 who turned this once military but also an educational city into the first atomic bomb target.

Standing on the soil that has once, within seconds been burnt to ash and facing some of the reminders of this horrific event, one can't believe the horrors that had happened in this city:

The A-bomb Dome, the only blast survivor left in ruins, a naked skeleton of a building that had once proudly stood and served as an Industrial Promotion Hall has now become and eternal reminder of the sufferings and a symbol of a total destruction that took upon Hiroshima.

Across the river from the A-bomb Dome, there is the Peace Memorial Park stretching behind the T- shaped bridge which was the actual target used by the bombardier.
It is dotted with memorials

The Cenotaph that includes all the known names of the victims (excluding the Korean ones who have a separate memorial) and is believed to serve as an arch for the souls to hide from the rain. There is a flame burning beneath the arch and it is to be extinguished once the last nuclear weapon on earth has been destroyed.

Further along the park there is the Children's Peace Memorial

inspired by one of the victims Sadako, who at the age of 10 developed leukimia and decided to fold 1000 paper cranes -the Japanese symbol of longevity and happiness- hoping that once she achieved her target she would recover. Unfortunately Sadako passed away having completed her 644th crane. She was buried with 1000 cranes, the remaining 356 made for her by her schooldfriends.
The paper folding of the cranes continues up to this day and the monument is surrounded by milions of them, sent or delivered from schools from all over the country.

Each day we came back to our hotel room we would also find a different paper crane folded for us by the room-maid and in hope for peace in the world.

The Memorial Mound

Although you probably find yourself like us feeling deeply touched, sorry and angry for what had happened here -especially while you are at the museum, where exhibits speak for themselves and the model showing the town after the blast makes it easier to imagine it although you are probably still nowhere near the reality of those days- the town is far from depressing.And it is all thanks to the citizens who have recovered and on the contrary remained in their town and managed to build a new city of a tranquil yet modern atmosphere and also rebuild some of its previous attractions. If anything it gives you inspiration and hope and shows how much us human beings can achieve on both - bad and good fronts. It reminds us how precious our life is and how little time it takes to destroy it!

The Hiroshima Castle and one of the trees that had survived the blast and kept growing:

And while visiting in the castle Nick and Maja got to wear traditional Japanese costumes and grins:

MIYAJIMA

Designated as a World Cultural Heritage, Miyajima is an island that makes a perfect day trip if you are staying in Hiroshima (although if you enjoy nature you can easily spend a few more days here!). It can be reached from Hiroshima by a train, followed by a short ferry crossing.

On the day of our trip we were very lucky with the weather - the sun was shining and the sky was blue which contrasted nicely with the red colours of the famous "floating" O-Torii gate (classified as one of the "three Japanese best views), the shrine and the 5 -storied pagoda.
The island's corret name is Itsukushima taken from the Itsukushima shrine located on the island since the 6th century, although its present form comes from the early 12th century. The island had (and I suppose still has) a holy status and people were not allowed to set the foot on the island unless they approached the shrine - constructed in a form of a pier - on the boat , going first through the O-Torii gate.

We walked around the gate for a while and then decided to climb the sacred Mt Misen - 535m above the sea level, not too high but those who did the walk know how difficult and fairly steep it was in places.

We passed by the Daisho-In Temple

-one of the most prestigous temples in Western Japan. This is where we found why the little statues of Bosatsu (Buddhist monks) are wearing the red bibs and caps like babies - the parents who have lost their children take good care of them as though they were their lost children.

We also came across the statue of Tengu, who with his wings and a long nose has been considered to posses supernatural powers since the ancient times and is indispensable to the holy sites on mountains in Japan. It reminded me of our Polish "Duch Gor" -The Ghost/ Patron of the Mountains-.

During the walk,Maja needed some serious encouragement from time to time and with a little help of daddy's back and the promise of an ice-cream afterwards (always works!), she proudly made it to the peak.

The views from the top were magnificent and as the walk back would be same as the walk up- mostly through the forest - we decided to make our way down using the cable car and enjoy the views just a little bit longer. It was fun!

There is plenty of other attractions on the island -for example the Eternal Fire Hall which shelters the fire, lit by Kyobo Daishi (who underwent the ascentic practise for 100 days on the mountain in the autumn of 806) and believed to have been burning for 1200 years! This fire was used to lit the Flame of Peace in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.
The island is full of cultural assets and various spiritual sites located mainly on the mountain, "wonders of nature" and "Miyajima's living miracles" as advertised on the leaflet together with traces of travels of famous worshippers which are probably very interesting to the followers but wouldn't have much significance to us.
Still, we found the place absolutely stunning. The shrine and temples "co-exist" with perfect harmony with nature, that has been kept totally intact creating a magnificent scene for anyone who visits.

Here is what we found on the slopes of the mountain, a perfect description of the place put into words by the First World War poet Edmund Blunden who must have visited the mountain during his life- if you click on the picture it should enlarge:

This month we also liked:

Books:

very sad and very true:
"Eyewitness Testimonies Appeals From The A-bomb Survivors"
"Hiroshima" John Hersey could not describe it better then The New York Times did on the back of its cover -"...nothing can be said about this book that can equal what the book has to say. It speaks for itself, and in an unforgettable way, for humanity..."

learning how to fold the paper cranes: get your colour square paper ready:

http://www.origami-instructions.com/origami-crane.html

Kyoto

Once we arrived in Kyoto our slight disappointment with Mount Fuji's "poor hospitality" towards us, was quickly replaced by the zing and excitement of being in Japan's most beautiful and most "Japanese city" -according to the worlwide reputation.

However, if you arrive like us by train, you will be first impressed not by -what Kyoto is best known for -rich cultural heritage of the ancient Japan (17 Unesco World Heritage Sites)-but one of the largest buildings in Japan -the very futuristic and modern building of the Kyoto Station. It will also take you back into the 21st century when your visit to Kyoto is over.

We had only a couple of full days to explore it with an extra day for the trip to nearby Nara. With a late evening arrival, also a late departure and a trip to Nara we decided to stay in the ryokan located near the station and save some time on commuting to and fro.
It proved to be a good choice as it was handy and very comfortable and compared to Tokyo's one - recently renovated and very clean. The room was specious and once Maja was fast asleep in bed (read: on futon) we could sit on the little "balcony" and reflect on our busy day and plan the next one while sipping green tea...or indulging ourselves in Japanese beer and delicious desserts....

Although most scenic and beautiful spots are located west, east, south and north of the city centre as if embracing all that is new, there are also a few highlights in the central part of the city which we decided to explore first.

We went to Nijo Castle -built at the beginning of the XVII century. It first served as an official residence of the Tokugawa Shoguns until the country's sovereignty had been returned to the Emperor in the XIX century and the castle became the property of the Imperial Family.

Passing through the fortification and over the moat to stand on the hill overlooking the castle grounds with its palaces and gardens, you're guaranteed to be taken back in time.

But if your mind keeps drifting back to the present day wait until you go through old wooden gates and enter the reception rooms and the original "nightingale floor" starts squeaking under your feet as you walk along!

Of course the castle wouldn't be short of blossoming trees that come in all colours and variations and it even has its own "blossom calendar":

We have also visited "nearby" -well still centrally located- Imperial Park surrounding The Imperial Palace although we didn't go to the palace as you need to prebook your tour well in advance and also because we didn't have enough time.

It was getting late in the afternoon when we went to wander the streets of Gion district hoping to catch a glimpse of a geisha passing by. The place felt very aunthentic with its streets lit by lanterns, decorated with vivid colour ribbons and lined up with original old wooden buildings that served as restaurants, souvenir shops or exclusive teahouses -"geisha retreats" where patrons may pay more then $4000 to spend an evening in the company of 2 or 3 geisha.

According to the guide book the evening in a teahouse begins with an exquisite dinner presented in accordance with strict rules of ettiquette and geisha (or maiko-apprentice geisha) introducing herself in Kyoto dialect while the client eats his dinner. Next comes shamisen (traditional 3 string instrument) performance, followed by a traditional fan dance and of course the service of pouring drinks, lighting cigarettes and bantering.

Unless you are introduced by an established patron it is almost impossible to enter the a Gion teahouse and witness a geisha performance with the exceptions of annual public performances or dance presentations or.... watching more or less dodgy posts on YouTube!

And today the luck was on our side - we managed to see quite a few, possibly on the way to/from their appointments or theater shows.

Once in Gion we went to Gion Corner to observe tea ceremony, Moribana -a flower arrangement, a performances of Kyoto music, an ancient comic play and a traditional Kyoto dance performed by beatifully and colorfully dressed Maiko and Geisha. At the end we also watched a puppet play where the actors operating life size puppets are also present on stage although dressed completely in black.

It was an interesting experience although it felt a little stiff and dry.

After that we went back to the central part of Kyoto to see what the modern Kyoto's night life and streets look like.
Unfortunately only to a certain extend as our own little puppet was getting a bit tired. We found a nice place to eat (deep fried noodles served and then crashed with salad and other bits, delicious!) and headed back to ryokan.
On the way we popped into an internet/manga cafe to check our emails:

and of course some MANGA

Although the central part of Kyoto is a very modern place with neon lights,big shopping arcades, modern architecture etc Kyoto's ancient vibe does not leave you for a minute. Many people move around on old bikes, you see many women and men casually wearing their kimonos, there are plenty of little shops or stands serving traditional foods and snack -we had delicious grilled rice cakes topped with succulent caramel.

Here is a view of a temple at night:

The next day we went to the outskirts of town and visited quite a few temples which seemed to be appearing anywhere like "mushrooms after rain". After walking from one to another we were totally templed out and decided just to walk along and enjoy the serenity of nature without stopping by:

While walking we came across not an average VIP you might think of - the moss boss and his numerous faces

and here he is at his best, stretching amongst the trees like a green carpet decorated with red flowers:

Nara

While staying in Kyoto we visited nearby Nara (40 min train journey) -the first permament capital of Japan (before that capitals were moved from place to place with the passing of each emperor according to native Shinto taboos about deaths) and a second only to Kyoto as a repository of Japan's cultural legacy (8 Unesco World Heritage Sites ). In size Nara is quite small so we were able to see most important sights and attractions but we could easily have spent another day or two there and explore some of the more distant sights as well.

Most of the attractions are situated in Nara-koen area -a park on the eastern side of the city. It is within a walking distance from the JR station and the whole area can be easily covered by foot.

Temples and shrines are Nara's biggest attractions. Buddhism first flourished here along with traditional Japanese Shinto religion under the strong patronage of succesive emperors and empresses.

The park is also home to an estimated 1100 deer which today hold a status of National Treasure and in pre-Buddhist times were considered messengers of the gods.

You can see them roaming all over the park but mainly at the entrances to temples looking out for tourists with food. You can buy special buiscuits for them but if you are with children you should try to do it discreetly as their eyes are watching you all the time and the moment you hand out something to one you 'll be surronded by the others sniffing and biting your pockets which can be a little scary and intimidating.

Nara's star attraction is Todai-Ji temple and Daibutsu-den Hall

which is considered the largest wooden building in the world sheltering the enormous statue of the Buddha (16m high, 437 tonnes of bronze and 130 kg of gold!).
The statue represent the cosmic Buddha -the centre of the universe, believed to give rise to all worlds and their respective historical Buddhas,

There is also a tall wooden pole with a hole the size of Buddha's nostril. It is believed that once you squeeze through it you become enlightened. We wanted to have a go but would have to dedicate half a day to it by joining a long que of schoolkids on their way to illumination!

Outside the hall there is a "healing statue" (sorry I cannot remember the name) and again according to beliefs if you touch it with "a suffering part" of your body it will be healed.

We walked around the park, admiring the scenery and the old architecture that survived through wars, fires and other disasters.

On the way back we came across a Buddhist celebration. We tried to find out what it was but nobody could speak English although they tried to explain it to us by gestures mainly pointing at Buddha.

Maja went to get a closer look and say hello to a beautifully dressed Japanese girl, who in return gave her a colorful flower to keep.

Accompanied by fog and drizzle throughout the entire day,we really enjoyed Nara and wish we had more time to explore this little town , go to museums and see some more of the local people and their ways of life ...

This month we also liked:

"Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken." Frank Herbert

"Memoirs of the Geisha"- strongly critised however still a great film!

Maja posing with Kitty - her favourite character !

watching Japanese Matrix on YouTube (now we know where they get the idea from)
here is our favourite:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5RrLWT4TjKs&mode=related&search=

Under the famous cherry blossom tree

When we decided to come and live in Korea for a year it wasn't because we had any particular interest in the country itself but mainly for the opportunity to live abroad and travel to other "nearby" places.We also thought that it could have been a chance to boost up our finances -but so far we have only enriched ourselves with photos and the great experiences of places we have been to while away from the UK...not that we are complaining

Anyway the idea of coming this way excited us very much, especially because of its location -Korea is very close to Japan. And Japan has always been somewhere amongst the top countries we wanted to visit!

So Japan here we come!

Our adventure with Japan began in Tokyo where we flew in on friday night.
We took a taxi to our ryokan located in Asakusa -the old part of the city.

The taxi ride was pretty cool. To our suprise there was not much traffic and entering Tokyo via the express way snaking amongst some very impressive buildings, it felt as if we were flying just inches above the city. And the views of Tokyo at night were stunning as expected.The city was buzzing with colourful lights and neons but we were mostly impressed with the red twinkling lights on top of a few buildings that seemed to be coming and going to/from nowhere as if the echo of light was drawing us deeper and deeper into the city.

However short our stay, while in Japan we wanted to have the ultimate Japanese experience. We decided to spend most of the night in ryokans - traditional Japanese inns dating back to XVII th century - somewhat equivalent to the guesthouses except there are no beds in the rooms but futons that spread out on tatami floors, the bathtub is more of the "squat in it" size but taller then bathtubs we have in our bathrooms and there is usually a beautiful tea set with some green tea. Once in the ryokan you take your shoes off at the entrance and you're supposed to change your clothes and wear "yukata" which is a casual form of the kimono and was originally worn after the bath (simply - a dressing gown or "around the house" clothes). Depending on the size, location and the price, ryokans tend to offer a variety of facilities such us hot spring baths, delicious home made food prepared out of local and seasonal ingredients,karaoke bar etc.
The best and most authentic ryokans are often located in scenic places on the outskirts or outside towns.

TOKYO

In Tokyo -having chosen one of the cheapest ones and conveniently located on the back streets of Asakusa - Tokyo's oldest part of town -we didn't have very high expectations. And right we were to do so as with its old carpets in the corridor, tiny rooms and a musty smell the place resembled more of an old youth hostel although still in japanese style. Considering it had all the basic works -the tatami floor, futons, yukatas and tea set were all there, the staff were all very friendly and we were out in town throughout the days and back totally knackered late evenings,the place did the job of providing a very cheap and basic Japanese sleeping experience!

We fully dedicated our first day to Asakusa -the old part of town, with some of the greatest temples, markets and where some of Tokyo's old folks live and carry on with their daily routines as if the world around them hadn't changed. It is not suprising it is packed with people -its old, traditional Japanese atmosphere attracts not only foreign but also Japanese tourists but somehow you're not bothered by the crowds who seem to be an integral part of it all.

We followed a long street lined up with tourists and market stalls selling Japanese crafts and souvenirs to Senso-ji -the biggest and most significant temple in Tokyo. We not only visited the temple but were able to discreetly observe other people who came to visit and pay their respects to yet another incarnation of Buddha (the one of Mercy) and receive "blessings" by burning giant insence and bathing their faces in its smoke in front of the gate to the temple.

It was a nice place to be and walk around although felt a little strange lacking the knowledge of what the place is really about and what different things symbolise but we learned more as we had travelled further on.

There was another way we could have done the tour around the old town but at the time we somehow didn't fancy it...now I wish we did....it is cheesy and touristy but hey ....at the end we are the tourists!

Having paid our visit to the temple, we decided to walk to the pier to take a cruise on Samida river. As we walked along we saw people gathering all along the river and suddenly we found ourselves looking at "backstages" of what was to be a show of a traditional archery competition performed on the horseback or foot, with its form going back as far as XII century and handed down to the present day.

In the old days the shogun himself encouraged it as a necessary accomplishment for a samurai and in the present day the event is held by the head of the family that has been an active master of archery and horsemanship and inherited the shogunate.

It was a great show as we didn't known about it beforehand and came across it simply wandering down the river.

Next was the cruise on the Samida river, nice and relaxing, offering not the most beautiful but an interesting overview of the city and Tokyo's bay.We passed under quite a few bridges, some old as well as modern buildings, the famous Asahi Beer tower, a XVIII centrury traditional Japanese garden and a fish market.

We ended the day in a local restaurant in Asakusa where Nick had some traditional Japanese dish of egg, pork and noodles and I went for the chef's sushi plate of the day that had a wide range of sushi samples and I really enjoyed it except for the sea urchin roe one which had a very strong taste and was literally repulsive ....

Our second day in Tokyo we spent by travelling in between different this time modern and happening districts of the city but first we went to Ueno Park

filled with galleries and museums that unfortunately we didn't have the time to visit but at Maja's request we stopped at the Ueno Zoo to see the giant panda. For some reason panda's enclosure seemed to be the least pleasant one. While other animals seemed quite happy and kept in good condition, the panda looked a bit miserable and depressed.

After enjoyable time watching the animals, we went to see peonies garden filled with all the colours and sizes of the flower!It was beautiful and I absolutely loved it -peonies have always been my favourite flowers -my grandma use to grown them in her garden and I remember poking my nose to smell them just like Maja did here:

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In case you like peonies or are a fan of crosswords -its name comes via Latin from Greek and belong originally to the physician of gods.
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As it's been a while ago since we had accomplished all this, I can't remember in what order we did things, but we decided to walk the streets to get a bit more feel of the city instead of jumping on the subway getting on and off at major sights and attractions.
Looking at the map, city looks very compact and places we wanted to go to seem quite close to each other but once you start walking (with a 4 year old who wants to look and touch literally everything) it takes a bit longer then expected. Still we walked through very beautiful Hibiya Park with a large lake filled with spotty, red, white and black carps and turtles sitting still on the rocks as if they were statues to the Imperial Palace gardens as the palace itself is not open to the public.

Just across the road was the busy shopping district of Giza

with the expensive shops and the Godzilla statue somewhere within. We walked for ages looking for it and expecting it to be respectfully a big size and we nearly missed its ironically small statue although standing face to face with it, it could still send shivers down your back and it took few minutes to persuade Maja to come close to it and have a picture taken:

Next we found ourselves on electric powered streets of Akihabara -famous for its many electronic shops and Mecca for games', manga and animation lovers.

We only wished we had more time to dive into some of them as it looked fun and do some people watching as this is apparently place to be but all we had time for was to rush through the streets and visit the Anime Centre located in one of the higher buildings there which also gave us a good panorama of the area.

Then there was the time for dinner and saying good-bye to the city from the 250 metres high observatory of the Tokyo Tower.

Standing there and watching the city at night with its neon lights blinking in all colours and in every direction, Tokyo felt like a very cool city to live in offering a big choice of neverending and sometimes the weirdest enterteinment there is! It felt like all we had done here was having a quick peer at it through the keyhole not having enough time to turn the key and open the door. Definetely a place to go for the youngsters out there with spare time on their hands....
Not a very sharp snap of the night view but gives an idea:

MOUNT FUJI

However sad we were to be leaving Tokyo behind, we were very excited and looking forward to the rest of the trip and the next day on the slopes of Mount Fuji!

We booked a day tour to the mountain, with a cable car ride and a boat ride on one of the nearby lakes.
The clouds had hung very low this day and although we came half way up(by bus) to the 5th station, which is not always possible due to the weather conditions,the mountain still wouldn't show itself.

Slightly dispappointed, we got the fridge magnet from the souvenir shop and went on the cable car but all we could see all up the way were other traveller's disappoited faces.

Next was the lake and again as if cruising in the clouds, we couldn't even see the lake -never mind Mount Fuji! At least we felt relieved we hadn't gone ahead with our original plan of spending 2 days around the mountain, soaking up in the hot springs and enjoying the view ......

It was still a good trip, the guide on the bus was brilliant, sharing interesting facts of the country helping himself with self made pictures and lots of humour. If it wasn't for him we would never find out an interesting fact that Japanese almost NEVER say "I love you".....and that the headquarters of the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult (responsible for chemical warfare conducted on the Tokyo subway using sarin gas) were located very near, by one of the lakes near Mount Fuji.(if interested - see more info at the bottom of this trip's entry)

Maja made a good friend with an American/Iranian boy and although they had only spent a few hours together, both found it difficult to say good-bye to one another.
Here they are with Maja's favourite Japanese cartoon character -cuddly, smiley, magical and mysterious Totoro :

The best view we got on this trip wasn't unfortunately of Mount Fuji but this beautiful tree came to the rescue:

This was the only organised tour we had joined during our travels through Japan All the the rest we have tailored ourselves.
So next we made our own way to the train station and bought some dinner to have on the way.

This must have been the best dinner and the best train ride we have ever had.
While in England we would generally grab a sandwich or pasta/salad box (well I'm not mentioning Mc's and KFC's and all that lot) ,Japanese have all this too but what seems to be traditional and very delicious are the boxes packed with plenty of little things inside: a piece of fish, variety of pickles (oriental style), fragrant rice, little omlettey things and lots of other sometimes hard to identify bits and pieces!There is also a choice for seafood and meat lovers. Conveniently packed, fresh, healthy and with great variety of choice -it was definetely a winner for me.

As for the train -no need to comment -clean, spacious, cool looking, comfortable and fast as the bullet in its name, little expensive but definetely worth the money pleasantly transfering you from one place to another(worth buying Japanese Rail Pass if that's the way you're going to travel)!

This month we liked:

words by Caskie Stinnett
"I travel a lot; I hate having my life disrupted by routine."

2 books by Haruki Murakami:

"Underground" -already mentioned while writing about Mount Fuji, this book is a collection of interviews the author had conducted with the people who lived through the catastrophe including the victims, not affected passers-by and the members of the cult -the ones who had quit the cult since and the others who remained the members. Very interesting read!

"Kafka on the shore" - absolutely fanastic book, it starts a little slow but once you're "in it" there are two things you are no longer able to do - put it down or understand just as the words:

"In the place far away from anyone or anywhere, I drifted off for a moment"

Murakami's state of the art website is definetely worth visiting if you decide to read him, music plays a significant role in some of the plots and characters life and you can listen to what they had listened to in an instant -loved it!

www.harukimurakami.com

Jonathan Ross "JAPANORAMA" series

"carp flags" (which brought my some memories back from my kindergarden years when I was chosen to read out the greeting (in English)to the Japanese comitee visiting our town's factory - it was my first (and last) public performance, I must have been 6 and scared to death lying to teacher's 5 mins before the big event that I had stomach cramps hoping to get away ...the same flags were flying over our heads ....now I know that generally the carp stands for good luck and prosperity in Japanese tradition although originally The Carp is a symbol of boyhood courage and strength -"In Japanese tradition, a boy’s family flies a carp shaped streamer to encourage him to achieve his goals in life through unrelenting perseverance. In this way, the boy emulates the Carp, that fights its way up stream against formidable opposing currents to reach its destination."

Monchhichi- yet another childhood memory and a funny story:

I had one when I was small and haven't see it since. I had to buy it FOR MAJA
She liked it straight away but unfortunately lost it during the day and was pretty upset about it. We kept looking for another one but typically couldn't find it.
While we were at Mount Fuji -they had some in the toys shop , so Nick secretly got another one (looking as close to the lost one as he could)and brought it back to Maja with the story that Monchhichi wasn't really lost, he just went to say g'd b-ye to his friends...Maja seemed to buy the story although she commented "He must have had a big dinner as he seemed to grew a bit bigger overnight"...

Recycling in Asakusa:

And of course:

And special thanks to: Dominik for sharing his experience and throwing in ideas

Our journey through Japan continues soon in the next entry in the meantime greetings to all our families and friends!

Maja and I had another 8 days or so left and having spent the last week travelling around the southern tip and the central part of the North Island we decided to give the South Island a once-over- well not quite...

We crossed Cook Strait from Wellington to Picton on the ferry and hopped on TranzCoastal train that took us through the farmfields and vineyards and along the coast to Kaikoura - known as the whales' favourite hangout with a food rich trench that lies just few kilometres away from its shores.

We arrived in the early afternoon, dropped our bags and headed to the sea. As the motel we stayed in was just across the road from the beach, that was exactly where you could find us few minutes after and pretty much until the evening (except for a stroll to the internet cafe and the local shops for some food):

Next morning we got up early, picked up our bags and aimed for The Whale Watch Station hoping to be able to say that we'd seen a whale just a few hours after.
The weather was perfect and all looked promising!

The Kaikoura Whale Watch station is a very well organised place, with informative films preparig you for the adventure ahead and a great choice of souvenirs -we opted for a book and a t-shirt for Maja which she keenly wore for her first encounter with the real thing!

Shortly we got on the boat and were cutting the waves in search of the beautiful giant.The "state of the art" boat had all that's needed on board with a huge screeen inside explaining just about everything about the place, why it is so popular amongst the whales, dolphins and other sea creatures. It also went into details about the whales and their habits.

Once we reached the appropriate depths, the search began and our eyes sparkled with even more excitement and anticipation.We didn't have to wait long until we could see something long, black and shiney floating on the surface. As we came closer it was clear this was a whale getting ready for his/hers next immersion and so the buzz kicked in and the camera flashes went off.
It wasn't that easy for me as I had to look after our camera as well as keep tabs on Maja curiously hanging over the rail. At the end I managed to take some snaps as well as catch a glimpse of the whale not only through the camera lenses.

Here is some whale action for you:

Maja seemed a bit confused at first as I think she was expecting the whole whale just cruising on the sea surface with the fountain on the top of its head spraying the water around. It took me some time to persuade her that what we were all watching was in fact - the whale!

She didn't have any doubts about the playful dolphins though and wanted to join them in the water for a splash and a quick chatter!Next time Maja!

After that we boarded the train and carried on along the coast to Christchurch.
Apart from admiring the views I manage to have a read while Maja had a little snooze and dreamt about the new friends she had met earlier -the whales and the whale of a time we'd had.

Forgot to mention about the train itself. It was a slow old fashioned type of train but with comfortable seats, large panoramic windows,a little table and plenty of legroom.There was an open air carriage with no windows on the sides for viewing and photographing and a buffet carriage serving all sorts of drinks and snacks. There was also a little but interesting commentary throughout the journey.
After the succesfull morning with the whales and a very relaxing journey still along the coast,we arrived in Christchurch in the evening and decided to have a wander around the city centre while looking for a place to eat.
We found that our motel was a little bit further out from the centre then promised on the website but having accumulated some energy while sitting on the train we didn't mind the walk. We only had this and another evening in Christchurch so had to try to see as much as we could although pretty much in the dark.

My impressions of Christchurch were exactly as described in one of the books I had read about NZ -"a transplant from England" and "the most English city outside of England",with many notable buildings and monuments that recall its colonial heritage as well as parks and gardens.
We headed straight to the heart of the city -The Cathedral Square with its famous cathedral which we could only view from the outside as it was being restored.
We settled for a while in the restaurant by the square and watched the Christchurch life go by. Although it was the heart of the city with few reastaurants, bars, a hotel and a backpackers next to it, it seemed pretty quiet with few people passing by and an old fashioned tram circling around which I promised Maja to go on on our way back.Nice way to end the day!

Next day -we had an early morning again, caught a taxi to the train station to embark on yet another train -exactly the same as TranzCoastal one with the difference in name TranzAlpine and the route it was taking. Having come from North to South Island, this time we were to travel across the island on what is known to be one of the most scenic train journeys in the world!

The passage is 223 kms long and it took 4 and a half hours to get from the east coast to the west coast. .At first the train led us through the patchworks of fields and farmlands of Canterbury Plains and gorges and river valleys of Waimakariri River to climb into The Southern Alps with a brief stop at the highest point enroute -The Arthur Pass resting 737 metres above the sea level and finally descent through the lush and rainforest.

Although it was a summer season and the mountains tops looked grey opposite to snowcapped as seen during the winter season, it was still a great journey! The scenery managed to take our breath away as we sat glued to the windows for nearly the entire journey. There were other attractions on the way, we dived in a few tunnels , went over high viaducts and passed by coalmines with the early mining settlements looking now more like ghost towns.

We arrived in Greymouth-the largest town on the West Coast but how different to Christchurch on the other side. I must admit I didn't like it very much. Although it is by the coast it is in fact located by the Grey (!!!!) river leading to the sea which makes it a bit tricky to get to see it. As the weather wasn't great we set for a little walk around the town but except for Honda dealership, a supermarket, a warehouse and a church it didn't have anything special on offer. One of the museums there is was closed but we managed to visit an art gallery with an exhibition of the local art at the shooting prices! I think we would have much nicer memories if the weather was better and we had a car to move around.

Greymouth was the furthest south spot we got to on our journey. Knowing that just a couple of hours away were the gems of the South Island -Mount Cook with the highest mountain in NZ, Fox and Franz Josef glaciers and more -made us wish we had more time to explore it properly. As we were due to be back on the train midday next day, we only managed to take a taxi (there was no train or bus available at the early hours in the morning) to Punakaiki -a small coastal settlement famous for the Pancake Rocks and blowholes located nearby.

Although it was a flying visit it was well worth it to experience what miracles nature is capable of creating itself. We loved it!

Shortly after that we were dropped at the station to take a train back to Christchurch. I was hoping to take more photos on the way back as hadn't really taken any on the way there but the weather was pretty bad so we stayed inside the carriage most of the way reading, colouring and chatting. Maja was still buzzying with excitement and bursting with energy but managed to sit in one spot colouring and making up stories. She had not only entertained herself and me but the whole carriage and people kept coming up to me praising her for both her good behaviour and creative imagination. I must say it again -she had made a great travel companion and made sure we had never wasted a minute for doing nothing -every minute of the journey had been filled with some sort of action or words!

Back in Christchurch, we went to the cathedral square for a ride on the old restored tram. It wasn't a very long route just aroud the square with a driver indicating different sights and points of interest etc. Maja loved it especially when she was invited to sit in front of the train and pull the old fashioned gong bell.
Not long after we went back to the motel and went to sleep. Next morning we continued our journey on the train to Picton and got a ferry to Welligton where Phil was awaiting us to take us to their new stunning home!

We stayed 2 more days in Wellington I think and just chilled out (as if we were doing anything else for the past 2 weeks anyway) with our friends. We went to visit the local Zoo with the kids and spent some time on the beach and a cafe in Scorching Bay (where the Lord of the Rings cast and crew used to hang out while being over in NZ doing the film).

On our last day Monika and Ralph drove down and we all cruised off the Wellington Harbour to one of the surrounding bays although I am not sure which one it was -I think it was Oriental Bay but it could have been any other.
We had another very productive day of sitting in the park tucking into some delicious cakes and washing it off with coffee and just relaxing on the beach making the most of our loosey goosey times together.

On the way back Maja and Henri kept poking into the captain's cockpit until he gave up and invited them to sit in and "steer" the boat back to the port.

We had an AWESOME holiday in New Zealand and no wonder that more and more people choose it as a place to live. It is a beautiful country with most attractions still made by nature that keep the tourists coming and locals beaming. It was a constant feast for