Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Tokyo, Nagano and a pleasant return to the world of wandering

Well then, last week was reading week, so I took off Friday afternoon to head to Kyoto. Spent a day meandering there and made a weak attempt to see the royal palace, but ended just going to the pub. After that was a day in Osaka where we found the perfect example of why I love Japan. We got off the train around 10 and wandered the streets attempting to find our hostel, although we had a general area indication, the actual address as as mysterious as what sort of urban planners are employed by the Japanese. Despite numerous calls, the hostel, which later turned out to be a converted house, did not pick up. I asked one guy who was on his evening stroll coming back from an onsen and he had never heard of it (we were literally standing 4 houses down from it when I asked, it just had no visible signs), though he was determined to get us a place to stay. After going the opposite direction and inquiring at a number of restaurants he found a darkened house in an indoor shopping mall that was supposedly a homestay. In literally every other country I know, I would be putting my money in my shoe and running the opposite way, but in true Japanese style this was not the case. After realizing he had no idea where he was going I made my way back to the reference point, several minutes later and more unanswered calls the older gentleman came back and said 'you stay my home, I have 2 home, no one there, no money, you stay'. Ok now, your walking down the street on your way home, and two foreigners ask for directions you've never heard of, you can't help so you go home and they go on their way, or.. you offer your second apartment to the two complete strangers. Just as he was calling whomever needed to be called after we accepted, the hostel called and sad they'd pick us up (walk from 5 houses away), so we regretfully refused. Truly a movement of generosity if there ever was.

After that we headed to Himeji, and Nara for a sight of the worlds biggest wooden structure, or some sort of grand title like that and took the town by storm on bicycle. 

Then it was off to Tokyo on the dreadfully insomnia-tic yet impressively cheap overnight bus. It somehow managed to stop at every highway stop possible between the hours of 11 and 6 a.m, plus the seats, sort of like your regular greyhound, but it was on the lower level so the ceiling was 5 feet high and the seats built for a Japanese frame. 

We kicked the day off in Tokyo with a visit to the tsukiji fish market and some ever incredible sushi, then to the electric district Akhibara, somewhere else I can't remember and finally to Ikebukuro for a pint. Then to Junko's for an ever lovely and generous visit. 

The next day was an earl morning departure to Nagano, the site of the 1998 Olympic games. We spent about 4 hours in the city, half of which was trying to find the rest of the city, then saw an impressive old temple with a completely black underground maze which turned out to just be a big circle. That evening we bussed it to a local ski area, Tokushima to stay in a perfectly gorgeous hostel/traditional Inn. About 5 minutes after dropping the bags off we had established ourselves with a case of brew and snacks for some cards with a brit we met on the bus. The next day was a spectacular return to the world of snow and beautiful mountains, where we managed to rent everything at half the price of any Alberta resort, though the hill was more reminiscent of Ontario.

The following day was an epic 12 hour trek first to Nagoya, a transportation hub, then to town x, to find out that was not the line we wanted at all (my fault), and finally got to Osaka on a local train around 9 Saturday night.

This week has been an impressive jolt, shake and slap back to reality with midterms once or twice a day for 4 days this week, 3 next.

If anyone ever tells you that the best way to experience a culture is to study in it, I have this to say. Its not. The best way to experience a culture is travel travel travel, hang out with the locals, learn the language beforehand and if you get a chance spent an extended amount of time in one place getting to know the area intimately. If you study, the focus is on classes, its to easy to stay in the confines of dorms and when you do venture out its to easy to do it with people who speak your language. I most certainly learned and experienced more of Japanese culture in the first month than in the previous 2 combined. I certainly have no regrets (besides my inability or lack of foresight to learn Japanese), and I certainly would not know any of this if I hadn't done it, I just know for next time.