Belated December 15th

Today we got up early and had the breakfast at our Nara Ryokan (same as yesterday, except Salmon instead of other fish). We packed up and took ourselves to the Nara station – quite a long walk but at least this time it was downhill!

Our newly activated JR pass works like magic. We just showed it to the guy at the ticket gate and he welcomed us through with a smile. We took a limited express train to Kyoto which filled up pretty quickly. We were then able to grab a bento box and get a Shinkansen to Nagoya, which took around 40 minutes. We were lucky enough to be in time to catch that hour’s train to Takayama. The weather forecast for Takayama today was 4 degrees and snow. So I had dressed really warmly for the day – thermal pants and top. The train from Nagoya to Takayama was very comfortable, with a lot of leg space and toilets and a food trolley. But it was incredibly hot and really bumpy – two things that do not go well with me. There was a thermometer IN the carriage and it was 26.8 degrees. It got down as far as 24.5 and then went up again. It was a 2.5 hour trip. The scenery was beautiful though!

We were relieved to get to Takayama. It was about 3pm when we arrived. We found the hotel relatively easily compared to previous times. It’s a big ryokan, and we’re on the third floor. As usual at Ryokans, you are asked to take off your shoes at the entrance and leave them in the shoe cupboard by the door. Indoor slippers are provided at the door, which are these faux leather slippers with no backs that you just slide on. The problem is that whenever we walk, they slide off again. Having experienced this at Nara, we didn’t put them on, but then we were chased with them so we did and just shuffled.

We were showed to our room, which has a little alcove to leave your indoor shoes (no shoes whatsoever on the Tatami mats) and your bags. A sliding paper door revealed a 12-mat room with a low wooden table, a television and kettle, cups, teapot and REAL TEA, a balcony area with a small table, and a bathroom with a shower/bath and toilet. No futons.

We went out to the Combini to get some late lunch and got some Inari sushi and a Meron bread. We looked around and saw the river and some interesting looking shops. It was cold. We went back and looked up some places to eat and decided to eat at a place around the corner, but first to look at the internet downstairs.

The internet was 100 yen per ten minutes! Outrageous! I put in 100yen and almost sent an email before it shut down on me. I’m writing this in Word and I’m going to post it tomorrow at the train station where they have internet.

We went to this place around the corner which had a really nice atmosphere and ordered Sukiyaki. It was a bowl of raw cabbage, bean sprouts, mushrooms, tofu, onion and the famously amazing Hida beef (Hida is the area we’re in now), all in a soy-based sweet sauce. This was placed over a burner and set on fire, and we were told to turn it all over and cook it up together. It was fun and tasted amazing. We were also given miso soup, rice, two lots of Japanese pickles, and unlimited green tea. It was delicious!

We walked towards Family Mart and bought some chocolates called Melty Kiss that I’ve been curious about since our first day in Japan, and also some dessert. When we got back, futons had been spread for us! Like stealthy ninjas they waited until we had our backs turned and then BAM! Futon attack!

I had a lovely bath in the hotel’s ladies’ bath (Japanese style) where I could take as long as I wanted because nobody else was there. We ate the dessert I bought and it turned out to be coffee cream on top and underneath… coffee jelly. Weird.

Sunday, 14th December!

Chrissy: Today was our full day in Nara. We got up fairly early to eat the Japanese breakfast here, which was miso soup, rice, a strange tofu dish over a FIRE, pickles, lotus root, other veggies, and some other veggies, as well as a baked fish and eggplant. Only little dishes, but it added up to a humungous meal.
We went out with an Australian friend we met last night. The lady at the front desk told us about some deer event happening at 9:30, so we rushed over to Nara Park (it's gigantic) to where it was happening. There were a bunch of people milling around, and then one guy with a french horn (or some other kind of horn?) got up and said something, and then started to play his horn. About 20 seconds later, a herd of deer came pelting out of the woods 50 metres behind him and ran towards him. It wasn't dangerous or anything. It was a really cool spectacle. Chucky thinks that they let them out of an enclosure in the forest, but I think that they were called from afar. We were handed out senbei which is a kind of cracker, to feed the deer. They were really pushy and some tried to eat my coat and bag. One jumped up on Chucky, so it looked like a kangaroo. There were all these little children with the senbei, who were shorter than the deer and were terrified!
Then we went for a walk in the park, which includes many interesting sights. First, we walked to Todai-ji temple, which is the biggest wooden building in the world and contains a really huge Buddha. I don't know if it's the biggest buddha, but it is certainly huge. In the same building, behind the Buddha, there is a huge wooden column with a hold through the base. I have been informed that this hole is the same size as the great Buddha's nostril, and that whomsoever shall pass through it shall be blessed with enlightenment. So we did. We are enlightened.
Continuing the walk, we went to another Buddhist hall where there were monks chanting and praying. I felt weird about watching so I walked away. There were some interesting water features around.
Chucky and our new friend had lunch at a place that sold souveniers and lunches. I watched and drank coke because I was still so full from breakfast. Then we went further into the park to a Shinto shrine area which was really pretty. The Shinto shrine was in a rainforest-type place, still with deer everywhere. They were really tame, and were quite happy to let you walk close to them and take photos.
We walked back to town and got some lunch for me from the Circle K (where strange things were afoot). Yum.
Then Chucky MADE me go out immediately to find a doughnut shop he read about. We walked some arcades and things and found some really amazing secondhand clothes shops. The best one had a cafe at the front, and then a tiny tiny selection of secondhand kimonos and a display case full of retro jewellery, then there was this stage area/display area, and then there were tables where young women in kimonos and colourful sneakers were crocheting things. I felt so left out, I really wanted to join in.
There were a host of other rad second hand clothes shops around too. I bought a ... vest ... which is awesome.
Found our doughnut shop, where Chucky got something. A doughnut. Then we met up with our friend and got Okonomiyaki. Yay! I want my dessert.

December 13th - Kyoto and Nara

Today we thought we might visit the bamboo grove in Kyoto before we got on our way to Nara. We got ready to leave but realized that is was quite a long way away and we were a bit stressed about activating our Japan Rail Passes. We went for a short walk in the city instead and got a great view of Kyoto Tower and the Big Tin Shed.

After we picked up our bags (heavy) from the hotel we walked down to the station and negotiated our passes. We felt very special being able to usurp the ticket machines and simply show our passes to the man at the gate. We’re SPECIAL PASS HOLDERS.

We figured out the platform to go to Nara and saw a train ready to leave. It was a local train and we thought “Oh, it’s only 37 kilometers, it can’t be that bad.” When we got on the train and it stopped every 10 seconds we took the initiative at a big station to change to an express. Very clever of us.

When we got into Nara, Chrissy was a bit disappointed that the station area looks just like every other city in Japan with big messy buildings and loud traffic. The walk to the ryokan was uneventful but annoying with our bags which we dropped off and went to look about and find lunch. Nara has some shopping arcades as well, kind of like a mini Teramachi and Sanjo streets (Kyoto). We went back to the ryokan for a while and then went out to look at the park. According to the map, about half of central Nara is park with temples, museums and a few shops. The light was fading but we had a nice time looking at the deer. We walked through a giant temple gate and when we turned around we realised that there were two giant scary statues watching us! Scary!

Dinner was at a chain Japanese restaurant specializing in rice with ingredients on top dishes. These are usually called something-don in Japan and this restaurant is called the don. Chrissy ordered an old favourite of ours – oyakudon ­– or eggy chicken on rice. I ordered a mysterious item which turned out to be crumbed and fried OYSTER on rice. Bad choice since I’m not that keen on oysters. I probably should have looked at that page on the menu which featured a big picture OF AN OYSTER.

We came back to the hotel reasonably early and used their big bath to wash away a stressful day. Soon – sleep!
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