Harajuku

Kamakura

Kamakura

I took a spontaneous daytrip here, on Rachel's reccomendation, knowing nothing about it other than there was a "big buddha". It was about an hours ride out on the train, and on arrival I picked up a map at the tourist information and realised that there was at least a full day of sight seeing. I, however, only had about 3 hours so the woman at Tourist Informatiomn circled three of the thirty odd attractions shown on the map and set me on my way.

My first stop was the Kosokuji/Hase-dera Temple, a buddhist temple compound spread over 2 levels. There are several halls, containing statues of various bodhisattvas, From the top there is a viewing platform looking over Yuigahama Beach, and on the steps back down you pass by rows of little stone statues, some wearing knitted caps or scarves. Their purpose is to comfort the souls of unborn children. Back at the far end of the lower level there is a cave, containing images carved out of rock, and hunreds of small wooden carvings.

Next stop was the big buddha - at 13.45m tall the second biggest in Japan! Didn't have time to fit in any more temples but was sure to make it to the beach - not quite Thailand but the only beach I've come across in Japan. Overal a nice day out, a bit of a tourist trap but a worthwhile day trip from Tokyo and I'd definitley go back and explore a bit more.

Daikanyama

Daikanyama

Daikanyama

I unwittingly stumbled upon this great little area just after arriving in Shibuya. I got into Shibuya around 4pm but wasn't meeting Frank, Nicola and Rachel till nine, so I stuffed my backpack and jacket into a locker and began to walk a little aimlessly while working out how to spend the next few hours. I had a vague idea about walking to Harajuku, one stop away (more about Harajuku later) but not knowing exactly how to go about it set about following the train line. Shortly after setting off, I got a message from Yoshi, a Japanese guy I know from when he spent a year living in Glasgow. He told me he could meet me in Shibuya, at 5.30 pm, leaving me 45 mins to explore...


After half an hour of strolling, I turned back to meet Yoshi back at Shibuya Station. When he suggested a coffee, I had just the place in mind....a long, squat cafe, with classy leather sofas and armchairs, and at the far end floor to ceiling windows looked out over the railway track and the trains whizzing by every few minutes...





Over the next few days, I visited Daikanyama several times, making new discoveries each time. On Saturday I found myself once again with time to kill while waiting for Chika to arrive in Shibuya from Sapporo. She had been due to land at 2.30pm but due to snow in Sapporo, first her bus and then the flight were delayed. I came back to Shibuya from a day trip to Kamakura with no idea how long I would have to wait, and her phone turned off. From Kamakura, I exited Shibuya via the "New South exit" and set off blindly on foot. I again stayed close to the railway, coming across more graffiti art adorning tunnels and underpasses. Next to a slightly shady underpass, a bank of vending machines caught my eyes - for the first time, I saw among the soft drinks and beer machines, a unit selling full bottles of whisky and shouchu (Japanese spirit)....

2nd from the left - check out the attempt at trying to smash it in!

I foubnd myself in what I figured to be the centre of town via a maze of alleys dotted with designer boutiques and packed with character. Emerging onto a main street, it was a lot posher but still pretty cool. I didn't see the Starbucks or the Gaultier flagship store though I have since read of their existence. Guess I only grazed the surface...

okonomiyaki

Last night had my first try at okonomiyaki. I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan but it's still something Japanese to check off the list...



The okonomiyaki is cooked on a hot plate built into the table. It's a lumpy mixture of cabbage, meat and ginger coated in batter. In some places you cook it yourself but here it was done for us.

Once cooked, an egg is cracked onto the hot plate, and the okonmiyaki placed on top of it, when it is flipped again, there is a smooth base on which to spread the toppings. The server turns the grill off and leaves us to it. There are 3 sauces - sweet, medium hot, and hot, plus mayonnaise, nori and fish flakes. Due to my fussiness, we only added the sauces on the grill and the other girls added the rest on the plate.

Genghis Khan

Got a message from my flatmate Jackie while I was at work in Tomakomai (a 40 min express train ride from Sapporo) asking if I would like to go for Genghis Khan - and that it would be FREE!

There are 2 main venues for Genghis Khan - The Sapporo Beer Factory and the Kirin Beer Factory. We went to the latter. I had never been before but had been wanting to chexk it out ever since I camew to Japan so I jumped at the chance. Another Nova English teacher - Kim, is about to leave for Tokyo so her boyfriend's boss offered to treat her and her friends as a goodbye present. My friend Aika also came along - she has just moved to Sapporo from Kushiro.

The Genghis Khan is served in a large open hall. Each table has a hot plate set into the centre. Meats (generally lamb) is served raw with cabbage and shoots to go, and you cook your own at the table. Our host for teh evening insisted on getting the best of everything so we had the premium meat deal (all you can eat) and the premium drinks deal (all you can drink with everything on the menu included) , plus salads and sushi extra. Our beer was served in a "tower" with a tap to pull our own. Left with a very full stomach.