17 October 2007
Festival Season
Everybody in Japan knows that October is the season for festivals. This is the time where everybody prays for a good harvest for the year, which is the reason for most of the festivals being held in October. So that is why the next couple of entries are about festivals – which is one of my most favourite things in Japan. The best thing about the festivals in Japan is that they are all free. You can go and be entertained and enjoy the traditions and cultures without a door charge. It is all free entertainment – and something that we would most certainly never experience in Australia. Yep, you have to come all the way to Japan to see this! I hope I have tempted you now!
Lauren’s Birthday Bash
Just recently, it was Lauren’s birthday, so there is no better way to celebrate a birthday in Japan other than to have a few drinks at home, then go out for the inevitable karaoke. We all had a fantastic time at Lauren’s party. There were lots of drinks to be drunk, lots of singing to be sung and lots of dancing to be performed. Once we hit the karaoke bar, we were all in for a give-it-your-best-shot night! The best part of my night was the fact that I didn’t even have to ride to the karaoke bar. As we were one bike short, I got the privilege of being dinkied all the way to and from the karaoke bar. Shinya was kind enough to do all the work and ride us both there!
Out of all people, I am most certain that the birthday girl herself, Lauren, had the best time of all! She got right in the partying spirit and sang for most of the night. I’m sure she is still reminiscing about how much fun she had that night!
Karaoke…
…MORE karaoke…
…and MORE karaoke!
Tina, Steve, Lauren, me, Shinya and Taro all up for a good, fun night at the karaoke bar.
11 October 2007
Amanohashidate
Amanohashidate is a place in the country-side of Kyoto which contains one of the three most beautiful views in Japan.
This particular view is so unique because it is a strip of land in the middle of the ocean that looks like it is floating above the water, hence its name. Amano- meaning sky, hashi- meaning bridge and date- meaning floating.
When you look at it upside down (you have to bend over and put your head between your legs) you can actually see that it looks like it is floating above the water.
We went up the chair lifts to get a good view.
The chairlifts were a little scary and unsafe because it was just a small chair connected to a pole which was connected to a wire which pulled you up the mountain. The chair didn't have a chain to strap you in, so if you moved too much in the chair, you could easily fall out. It was very peaceful and relaxing though because everyone was quiet and there was classical music playing as you got pulled up the mountain on this chair.
There was also a really cool bridge that moves when ships go past it. It looked really nice and definately photo worthy!
I took some nice photos of Amanohashidate. The weather was perfect and the sky was blue, so I got some nice photos of the blue sky against the land and the water.
I even rode in the small kiddy ferris wheel because I wanted to get a better view. I was really glad I went on the ferris wheel!
I think Amanohashidate is a beautiful place and definitely worth visiting, considering it has one of the most beautiful views in Japan. It was so peaceful and enjoyable. There were so many people on the day we went because it was such a beautiful day.
This particular view is so unique because it is a strip of land in the middle of the ocean that looks like it is floating above the water, hence its name. Amano- meaning sky, hashi- meaning bridge and date- meaning floating.
When you look at it upside down (you have to bend over and put your head between your legs) you can actually see that it looks like it is floating above the water.
We went up the chair lifts to get a good view.
The chairlifts were a little scary and unsafe because it was just a small chair connected to a pole which was connected to a wire which pulled you up the mountain. The chair didn't have a chain to strap you in, so if you moved too much in the chair, you could easily fall out. It was very peaceful and relaxing though because everyone was quiet and there was classical music playing as you got pulled up the mountain on this chair.
There was also a really cool bridge that moves when ships go past it. It looked really nice and definately photo worthy!
I took some nice photos of Amanohashidate. The weather was perfect and the sky was blue, so I got some nice photos of the blue sky against the land and the water.
I even rode in the small kiddy ferris wheel because I wanted to get a better view. I was really glad I went on the ferris wheel!
I think Amanohashidate is a beautiful place and definitely worth visiting, considering it has one of the most beautiful views in Japan. It was so peaceful and enjoyable. There were so many people on the day we went because it was such a beautiful day.
Shiga Prefecture – Makino
On the weekend, I went to Makino.
Makino is a town that is beside Lake Biwa (the largest lake in Japan). It is in the country-side and there are many hills and mountains in the town. I stayed in Satoshi’s holiday home and it was so cool! In the morning, we headed out to hike up the Mt Mikuni. The beginning was really steep and difficult, but once we past the hard bit, the rest wasn’t so bad. It was a beautiful day for hiking as there was a little bit of wind so we were able to keep cool.
On our way up the mountain, I was in the lead and all of a sudden, a really scary looking snake slithered past me. It had its head up and it looked like there was a spiky thing on it. It looked really angry that we had disturbed its slumber. Thank goodness it didn’t try to strike us, but instead, it hid in the bushes until we passed. As soon as everyone saw the snake, they all hid behind me! What was I going to do if it came towards me? Later I found out that the snake we saw was an extremely poisonous snake that can kill small children and elderly people. Pretty scary, huh? Thankfully we were ok!
We continued on our journey when we came to a bush that contained little red berries. I wanted to try one, but I wasn’t sure if they would be safe to eat. Yuki assured us all that they were ok to eat, so we all tasted one. They were really delicious!
The view from the top of the mountain was spectacular. I got a good view of Lake Biwa from the top and it was really beautiful. I am really glad I climbed that mountain.
On the way down, we took a different route.
It was so beautiful climbing down the mountain being amongst the greenery of the trees in the forest. I took so many photos because I loved being there. Hiking is so much fun because everywhere you go is different and unusual and beautiful. I love nature!
In Autumn, a plant that commonly grows in the mountains is called susuki.
It is furry up the top and feels nice to touch. There were so many susuki plants in the mountain that we climbed. They looked amazing!
This was my fifth hiking expedition in Japan so far.
My next hiking trip will be in Sepico. Apparently it is a little more challenging as in some parts you have to use a rope and chain to pull yourself up the mountain. It should be fun and I’m really looking forward to it!
Makino is a town that is beside Lake Biwa (the largest lake in Japan). It is in the country-side and there are many hills and mountains in the town. I stayed in Satoshi’s holiday home and it was so cool! In the morning, we headed out to hike up the Mt Mikuni. The beginning was really steep and difficult, but once we past the hard bit, the rest wasn’t so bad. It was a beautiful day for hiking as there was a little bit of wind so we were able to keep cool.
On our way up the mountain, I was in the lead and all of a sudden, a really scary looking snake slithered past me. It had its head up and it looked like there was a spiky thing on it. It looked really angry that we had disturbed its slumber. Thank goodness it didn’t try to strike us, but instead, it hid in the bushes until we passed. As soon as everyone saw the snake, they all hid behind me! What was I going to do if it came towards me? Later I found out that the snake we saw was an extremely poisonous snake that can kill small children and elderly people. Pretty scary, huh? Thankfully we were ok!
We continued on our journey when we came to a bush that contained little red berries. I wanted to try one, but I wasn’t sure if they would be safe to eat. Yuki assured us all that they were ok to eat, so we all tasted one. They were really delicious!
The view from the top of the mountain was spectacular. I got a good view of Lake Biwa from the top and it was really beautiful. I am really glad I climbed that mountain.
On the way down, we took a different route.
It was so beautiful climbing down the mountain being amongst the greenery of the trees in the forest. I took so many photos because I loved being there. Hiking is so much fun because everywhere you go is different and unusual and beautiful. I love nature!
In Autumn, a plant that commonly grows in the mountains is called susuki.
It is furry up the top and feels nice to touch. There were so many susuki plants in the mountain that we climbed. They looked amazing!
This was my fifth hiking expedition in Japan so far.
My next hiking trip will be in Sepico. Apparently it is a little more challenging as in some parts you have to use a rope and chain to pull yourself up the mountain. It should be fun and I’m really looking forward to it!
Akashi
Akashi is a small town in the Hyogo Prefecture, but it has a really beautiful castle and a nice garden surrounding the castle.
I walked through the Akashi Castle’s garden and it was really peaceful and relaxing. This was the lake that was near the castle.
There were also some cute turtles that I spotted swimming and talking to each other.
After walking around the castle, I went to the Planetarium where you can learn about the planets, the solar system and the universe.
In one of the rooms, it had pictures of al the star signs and they were so beautiful that I took a photo of my own star sign – virgo. I went inside a large, circular room and was able to see all the star formations in the sky and the sun slowly moving in the sky turning day into night. The chairs were really comfortable as they were reclining chairs and I felt so relaxed that I actually fell asleep! I wasn’t the only one though, there were about five men behind me all snoring their heads off while the school children were cracking up laughing at them!
I also tried Akashiyaki. This is like takoyaki (octopus balls), but it is specific to Akashi. I had a bad experience with takoyaki at the Osaka Castle once, so they didn’t quite taste as good as I thought they would, but I’m sure that I would have enjoyed eating them if I hadn’t had a bad experience in the past!
I’m glad I visited Akashi because it is the sort of town that could get forgotten as it is on the way to Kobe and Osaka by train. It is a beautiful town though and worth a look!
I walked through the Akashi Castle’s garden and it was really peaceful and relaxing. This was the lake that was near the castle.
There were also some cute turtles that I spotted swimming and talking to each other.
After walking around the castle, I went to the Planetarium where you can learn about the planets, the solar system and the universe.
In one of the rooms, it had pictures of al the star signs and they were so beautiful that I took a photo of my own star sign – virgo. I went inside a large, circular room and was able to see all the star formations in the sky and the sun slowly moving in the sky turning day into night. The chairs were really comfortable as they were reclining chairs and I felt so relaxed that I actually fell asleep! I wasn’t the only one though, there were about five men behind me all snoring their heads off while the school children were cracking up laughing at them!
I also tried Akashiyaki. This is like takoyaki (octopus balls), but it is specific to Akashi. I had a bad experience with takoyaki at the Osaka Castle once, so they didn’t quite taste as good as I thought they would, but I’m sure that I would have enjoyed eating them if I hadn’t had a bad experience in the past!
I’m glad I visited Akashi because it is the sort of town that could get forgotten as it is on the way to Kobe and Osaka by train. It is a beautiful town though and worth a look!
2 October 2007
Kasai Flower Centre
On Mum and Dad’s last day in Himeji, Makoto was nice enough to take the day off work to show them around. I also took the day off to go with them.
He took us to a place called the Kasai Flower Centre. It was similar to the Botanic Gardens, but the flowers that we saw were ones I have never seen before. It was a really cool place, and I wish we could have spent a little longer there because it was so nice.
It was pretty hot that day, so Makoto, Mum, Dad and I decided to sit down and have a rest and eat an icecream before continuing!
These are the best flowers in the entire garden. I love these flowers and I have never seen flowers like this before. They were so beautiful that they didn’t even look real!
This is Makoto and I being silly trying to see what we would look like with long, green hair!
Mum posing in front of the flowers.
Dad posing in front of the greenery.
Mum and Dad really enjoyed their last day in Himeji thanks to Makoto showing them around a beautiful garden. It was good to spend an extra week with them after their trip to Europe because we got to see some amazing photos and some funny stories about their travel experiences overseas. I am positive they enjoyed their time overseas both in Europe and in Japan.
He took us to a place called the Kasai Flower Centre. It was similar to the Botanic Gardens, but the flowers that we saw were ones I have never seen before. It was a really cool place, and I wish we could have spent a little longer there because it was so nice.
It was pretty hot that day, so Makoto, Mum, Dad and I decided to sit down and have a rest and eat an icecream before continuing!
These are the best flowers in the entire garden. I love these flowers and I have never seen flowers like this before. They were so beautiful that they didn’t even look real!
This is Makoto and I being silly trying to see what we would look like with long, green hair!
Mum posing in front of the flowers.
Dad posing in front of the greenery.
Mum and Dad really enjoyed their last day in Himeji thanks to Makoto showing them around a beautiful garden. It was good to spend an extra week with them after their trip to Europe because we got to see some amazing photos and some funny stories about their travel experiences overseas. I am positive they enjoyed their time overseas both in Europe and in Japan.
Mt Shosha
Tina and I decided to take Mum and Dad to Mt Shosha which is where the movie, ‘The Last Samurai’ with Tom Cruise was filmed.
We hiked up the mountain and had to dodge and weave past all these scary spiders which had formed monstrous webs! None of us were keen on walking through those spider webs. This is one of the thousands of spiders that lived on the mountain.
When we reached the top, Mum and Dad wanted to ring the bell just to say they did it and made it to the top (without walking through a spider web!).
These statues represent babies who have died. It is very sad, but it is a good monument to remember them by.
Mum, Dad, Tina and I on the stairs of one of the temples at the top of Mt Shosha.
Tina and I at the exact place where ‘The Last Samurai’ was filmed. It was exciting to be in the same place that Tom Cruise had once been to film a famous movie!
This is called a jikido. Many years ago, a jikido was a place where monks would live, eat, sleep and study. It looked like a very peaceful place to be.
We hiked up the mountain and had to dodge and weave past all these scary spiders which had formed monstrous webs! None of us were keen on walking through those spider webs. This is one of the thousands of spiders that lived on the mountain.
When we reached the top, Mum and Dad wanted to ring the bell just to say they did it and made it to the top (without walking through a spider web!).
These statues represent babies who have died. It is very sad, but it is a good monument to remember them by.
Mum, Dad, Tina and I on the stairs of one of the temples at the top of Mt Shosha.
Tina and I at the exact place where ‘The Last Samurai’ was filmed. It was exciting to be in the same place that Tom Cruise had once been to film a famous movie!
This is called a jikido. Many years ago, a jikido was a place where monks would live, eat, sleep and study. It looked like a very peaceful place to be.
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