Magome, Japan

Tokyo Station - waiting for the Shinkansen to whisk us to Nagoya

Schedule

Our first ride on the Shinkansen

On to Magome... A small, charming, Edo-era post town in the Kiso Valley west of Tokyo / Northeast of Nagoya. We had our first bullet train (Shinkansen) experience; they move very quickly. It was great to get into the mountains... It rained. Emily was bitten by a HUGE centipede type insect with giant shark-teeth. And we stayed in our first Japanese Ryokan (a small traditional inn).

Road through Magome


The entrance of our Ryokan


Views around Magome

We got up at dawn's break to do the 7.8k hike from Magome to Tsumago on an old post trail, formerly linking Kyoto to what is now Tokyo... It was just us...the mist of the morning...and the bears (evidently there are many bears in the region...fortunately, we didn't see any). It was an extremely peaceful hike...

It's a hiking 'course'... Not a path, not a trail.

Not really sure what this flower is, but it's sure perty

"Ring the bell hard against bears."

Peace and quiet...

The streets of Tsumago
Now, looking back, this was one of the most rewarding things we did in Japan. Very cool.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is large - 12+ million people large. Two more heads were added when we arrived on August 12th - our first port of call. After nearly 24 hours of travel, 'twas immediately off to the hotel and bed.

Devin in our large hotel room in Tokyo - 'New Koyo Hotel'

Relatively refreshed, we took to the streets...via subway and foot....finding our first 'Japanese meal' (most likely Japanese fast food), visiting the Tourist Information Centre (twice) to figure out our route / lodging (in Japan it is expected to book in advance...), and wandering (which Emily does well) about in general.

Two women at the Tourist Information Centre helping us book lodging - each working on a different city.

They were amazing!

Old vs New: The moat around the Imperial Palace and Tokyo

(NOTE: No camping on Palace grounds.)

Bridge over moat surrounding the Palace.

I got a fever...and the only cure is a big Sapporo.

Delicious! Sashimi fresh from the Tsukiji Market.

(Largest fish market in the world - we didn't see it. Boo. Next time.)




Night lights.

Initial observations:

a) Tokyo is CLEAN - seriously, 'eat dinner off the sidewalk' clean.

b) Public transport (trains / subway) kick big ass.

c) The city is sleepy... Two jeg-lagged early risers had Tokyo to themselves until 9am.

d) Coffee is expensive: ~$6 for a regular cup.

e) Beer is available in vending machines....and it's perfectly acceptable to consume on any train.

f) Neon.

We realize that it is hard to get a feel for one of the biggest cities in the world after only a day and a half... Next time.

Japan is so cool!

Japan was a fantastic country to begin our travels! We spent 10 days there and were sad to leave, but we have a lot to see in the next few months and we needed to move on. (Plus, it's so expensive!)

The following posts will give you a glimpse into our travels from Tokyo to Fukuoka/Hakata.

NOTE: We made big promises about this blog and we'll try to deliver, but at this point we're operating on "Emily time" with our posts. Deal? :)

The Big One

I am laying on a thin futon mattress on a tatami (mat) floor in a room at a ryokan in Kyoto, Japan, and I'll be falling asleep in short order. After confirming that Yeti had a safe journey to Juneau with my sister, Devin and I spent the day (7 hours of it) walking through Higashiyama, (one district of this large city) in what can only be described as "balls hot weather." It was 95 degrees and at least 90% humidity out there today, and while we looked like we'd just taken a dip in the Kamo-Gawa (the local river), no one else seemed to notice. Needless to say, after walking and sweating all day, and replacing my water loss with Asahi's version of hard lemonade, I'm really starting to fade. But before I do, I want to rewind and add a little something about how we came to be in Japan...

"We should travel. Not just take a trip, but really travel."

We said that a lot during the past 5 years but never acted on it. We took a trip here and a trip there, and don't get me wrong, they were amazing!!, but they didn't quench our thirst for extended travel. It wasn't until last winter, after learning that good college friends were pregnant, that we decided we needed to make a move. (Thanks Em and Wade!!) We knew we eventually wanted to go back to school (Devin), buy a house and start a family, but there was something that needed to happen first. And now, 6 months and a tight budget later, unemployed and homeless, I'm extremely fortunate to be falling asleep on the floor of a guesthouse in the cultural center of Japan... Oyasuminasa!

(Keller, how'd I do?) ;)

Disclaimer

It should be noted that we have not done this whole blog or 'brog' (this message has been generated in Japan) thing before, therefore please excuse our lame format and any mindless ramblings.  At first, blogging sounded like a sexy idea...now, we have no idea where this will go, and we're not quite sure how to begin.  But isn't our map cool??