Out after 10 Years (20): The Sliding Phone

I do not believe in ghosts, paranormal activities, spirits and basically nothing that cannot be scientifically explained and physically perceived. With that said, something happened in the first hotel I stayed in during my trip to Japan which caused a sort of surprise. Japanese hotels are usually small. At least the ones I stayed at, majority of them were small. Let us review them all, one by one. It also helps the people who have a plan to go to Japan to, perhaps, select one of the below ones:\

1) Galois Hotel, Shinjuku, Tokyo: Nice and helpful staff. They understand a few English words. A little issue with cleaning but not bad. Just a little dust. Quiet. Less than three minutes to Shin-Okubo train station that can take you anywhere in Japan. Cheap shopping and cheap eats around. It's not a great neighbourhood but it's not bad either. It's not luxury. Smallest of the hotel. No window opens to the street or yard. Somehow a foreign worker neighbourhood, mostly Nepalese and Pakistanis.  The latter are a nuisance. 

2) Hotel Sagano, Ukyo, Kyoto: Huge room but old building. I have a separate post for this hotel.

3) Hotel CLS-SS, Hiroshima: Great hotel: Clean, specious, lots of stuff including kitchen and all the required appliances

4) Hotel Forza, Nagasaki: Nice hotel, great staff, quiet, close to shopping and some other places that you would want to see, small room.

5) Hotel Tobu, Narita International Hotel: Clean and nice hotel, good room, bigger than other numbers 1 and 4. Food service is not good. Shuttle service is great. 

The house in The Grudge (2004). I did not see many houses as big as this anywhere in Japan. The movie is a remake of the Japanese version which was made in 2002

Now that I have introduces the hotels, lets go to the telephone issue. I took two phones to Japan: My phone which is an old Blackberry and a new phone which bought before the trip a Motorola. The latter was used to navigate after I bought an SIM Card. The old one, mainly, for photography. I kept them both on the desk in the first hotel. A couple of nights, after I went to bed and I don't remember if I was asleep or was going to go, I heard the phone falling on the floor! I was too tired to think about that, usually. So, I'd would go back to sleep! 

You might have seen The Grudge. This is a movie that I cannot watch again even today. It's a very creepy story that happens in Japan and I don't want to spoil it but the Japanese have lots of movies like that and I don't know why I'm saying this but why should something like that happen? The table was not inclined. Why didn't the other phone slide?

(Photo, top: Hotel CSL-SS in Hiroshima was the best and nicest of hotels in my trip to Japan)

Out after 10 Years (19): Lessons Learnt

The recent trip to Japan was great. I put it over the top, over my trip to Bavaria, Germany, perhaps because I saw more places and stayed longer, not that Germany isn't great! However, I made a few mistakes which I would like to list them here, as a reminder to myself, as I'm going there again next year(!) and whoever is travelling soon:
1) Book your JR Pass before the trip, if you're going places, and pick it upon your arrival. I traveled more than 2,900 km (roughly 1,800 miles). It helped a lot. Besides I care about comfort. 
2) Do not haul too much. It will hurt and you won't enjoy your trip. Space is limited, particularly in hotels. When I was leaving Tokyo for the southern part of country, I had three baggage! My big pack, which was not heavy and distributed alongside my length(!), computer bag, this was a mistake as I intended to stay in touch with work and that's a heavy one and a full bag of purchases, including souvenirs! 
3) Leave most of your shopping to the last day, if you're traveling around the country like I did, or you'd haul a lot. Since the majority of flights land in and depart from Narita, you can assign the last day to shopping. 
4) be prepared for the food that you're not used to. I don't eat Rice, Noodles, most of the seafood or perhaps I shall say I don't eat seafood every day, White Bread or anything made of White Flour, raw fish and I basically starved most of the time during my trip! I need to have a plan for the second trip!
5) Have a second mobile phone with you to purchase a SIM Card in the airport. You'd be paralyzed without it! Bear in mind that the Government of Japan does not give you the permission to use that SIM Card for making phone calls! You'd be only allowed to use its internet feature. There were a few times that I needed to use a phone and I couldn't. Public phones are available throughout the country because unlike North America nasty, money grubbing, greedy telecommunications cannot disconnect them! So you still would be able to make a phone call but it's a bit inconvenient. 
6) Dress is very important. I hate heat and can cope with cold easily. I also hate shorts, baseball caps and short-sleeve shirt, but that's the national costume of Westerners! So, if you like to dress like that, go ahead but check the weather before you leave and take the appropriate clothing. 
7) A good camera and film recorder are both must. My camera took a few good pictures but it is old and has had an issue for the past 8 years or so! I should've replaced it or fixed it and did none. I took some good pictures but could've taken much better ones, had I had a good camera. A Clip recorder is important as well. The majority of people use their mobile phones these days. If you're happy with that and or on budget, go for it. You also can buy the best cameras in the world in Japan. However, if you do not know much about cameras, you'd need to go through lots of translation, perhaps using Google Lens, to find out about the features of the camera as the manuals are in Japanese. You might be able to find the manual in PDF format online too. 
If I remember something else, I'll update.

(Photo: This beautiful citrus tree was seen on my way to the resting place of the great Tushiro Mifune in Kanagawa. I took this photo with my Motorola g play, my second mobile phone. If an object or seen requires adjustments, a camera like that would absolutely be useless!)

Near Misses in Japan and Canada

When I was in Arashiyama, a neighbourhood or suburb of Kyoto, just for a short while, I went to what it is known as Bamboo Forest, which in fact is, I would like to call it flystrip! It's a pathway of nearly 250 meters, perhaps, a little more than 800 feet where bamboo is grown, naturally, at both sides, alongside other plants. Most of the area is private property, houses and temples and you obviously cannot trespass, and they even have put signs in broken English to warn people. No one really jumps over the fence as it's quite high and the bush is thick. I was there one early morning, and a few flies(!) were there too! I took a few pictures and carried on. It is a very beautiful and quiet path, but I was not prepared to go to the summit of Mt. Ogura, which the path takes you to, but I went up a little bit. It was hot and humid, and my shirt was stuck to my chest. I could see the whole town from there, despite the fog. I took a few more pictures and head back down. By the time I was down, the path was crowded. I passed everyone and headed back to the hotel. 

A tribute to the departed. That is how it is shown in Japan. This was at the side of the path

There, the lady, at Hotel Sagano, was waiting for me and handed me a small pack of a few sandwiches! I remembered that I had read that it was part of the service, but I pretended that I did not know and asked her how much I should have paid. She said that it was included in the cost of the hotel. We have a proverb in the old country which goes " When you're hungry, you eat sand and rocks"! I was so hungry that I devoured the sandwiches, although I doubted that they were made in a hygiene-concerned facility or anything like that, but they tasted very good! I took a shower and then later that night I went for a walk. 

When I came back to Canada, I felt a sharp pain in my chest area, left side, both front and back but only when I moved. I quickly became worried: I damaged my heart! But how? I didn't do heavy exercises! I didn't do heavy lifting, and my sleep generally was good during the trip. The only explanation for that was that there were two factors involved:

1) I caught a cold when I was coming down the trail all sweaty.

2) My body was weakened tremendosuly due to lack of nutritious food and enough water. 

What else it could've been? So, I made an appointment with a family physician, and he told me that he did not believe it was my heart. He thought it was a muscle and told me to continue my joggings and come back if I feel anything. I went for jogging yesterday and not a thing. I'm not saying that the doctors cannot have a wrong biognosis, but I feel better and I'm going for a run again today. That was danger number one! 

I usually have the radio or the CD player on (I know both sounds very old! That's because I drive a very old vehicle) when I'm driving. I, at times, listen to the news on CBC 1, although most of the time is nonsense! And I get some good songs on different channels from time to time. 

With that said, I was driving home last week, with the music on and up, while I heard a bang! At first, I thought someone just hit me, but it was a quite road! So, I pulled over to see what it was but not right away as I didn't want to, obviously, block the road. I dismounted and there was a line on my rear door! Kind of like a long scrape but not too deep! No vehicle was around! I don't know if I had misheard something, and it was way before that point or what? I'm happy now that there was nothing significant or it would've affected my insurance, especially now that I'm trying to buy a new vehicle. That was danger number two!

Do I deserve a celebration?!

(Photo, top: A sign which points at the trail to Mt. Ogura. I, obviously, found out later. I didn't summit but it certainly is part of my second trip in next year, or perhaps a higher pick in the area)

Out after 10 Years (18): The Return to Narita

I had one night left before flying back to Canada and I was nearly 1200 Km (~750 miles) away from the airport! The only good thing is that I had already purchased all my tickets from Nagasaki to Narita International Airport. My trip from Nagasaki Station to Shinagawa Station was very smooth. That was where it turned out to be a disaster! I rushed and got into the wrong train and instead of going to Narita directly, I ended up in Tokyo Station and had to get into a very crowded train! It was so congested for a few stations that I really felt embarrassed being onboard with three bags! I was lucky that the train almost emptied in the last few stations. I eventually reached Terminal 1 of the airport after nearly 75 minutes! the reason was missing a direct ride by Shinkansen! Trouble was not over in Terminal 1. I still needed to know how to get to the hotel that I had booked. I knew that the hotel provides a shuttle bus but where the hell is the station?! The information booth had a note indicating that I can have a video chat with the attendant! I think she was working from home as the airport would not be considered a safe place(!) or perhaps she lived too far away! Nevertheless what she said was not helpful because I barely understood her! I then decided to follow the map until I reached another information booth with a guy attending it and he told me where the damn bus would pick up the passengers. 
The bus was on time and the trip and checking were all great but the hotel itself was a bit of let down. I was given a 20% discount coupon for tomorrow's breakfast. I think the breakfast something in the vicinity of ¥2500(!) (which equals to approximately CAN $24! but despite the fact that I didn't want to eat that as I knew it would not be something I usually eat, I went down just to see what they serve and I realized that they had a ¥3000 buffet or something like that! This kind of trick, I had never seen anywhere in Japan. The people and businesses are all straightforward, polite and nice. I was a little surprised but didn't bother me as I simply ignore that! The checkout time for the hotel was 11:00 while my flight had been scheduled for 16:45. I think it was another plan of the hotel but it's okay. I checked out around 10:50 and got on the same bus and went to the airport. I think Air Canada accepted the bags around 14:00 or some time after that so I was a little relaxed for about one and a half hour. I wanted to buy something but you know how airports usually are. I ended having something in an expensive cafe: Mediocre food but very expensive for what you pay. It was not even tasty as much as I expected but it's done and I don't have to do that any more! 

(Photo, top: Nagasaki Station is usually not a very crowded station compared to the other stations)

Out after 10 Years (17): Other Beverages in Japan

Vending machines are everywhere in Japan. Even in small towns you can see them on narrow streets. Is that because of the hot and humid weather that Japan has for a number of months or companies simply intend to make more money? These machines sell different types of water (mineral, carbonated, flavoured, etc.), juices and maybe alcoholic beverages, as I never paid much attention to the last.

A small vending machine and the first one I saw in my first hotel in Tokyo

Nevertheless what I was looking for was Sake but since I never went to any restaurant for lunch and dinner (I don't think anyone drinks Sake for breakfast!) never had the chance to have any. I only bought a can from a 7-Eleven store and drank it but it was so strong that I couldn't finish it in one sitting. I knew there're different types of Sake and the good quality shall be expensive but never tried to by a high quality from a teal liqueur store or supermarket as they sell alcoholic beverages just like the American ones do. 

(Photo, top: 300 Ml Sake cans in convenient stores are sold for ¥259.6 which is nearly CAN $2.45, It has nearly 14.5% alcohol. Is it not too much?)

Out after 10 Years (16): Nagasaki

Going south, the next part of trip was to go to Nagasaki, the city which if I had not been to, I would have been deeply regretted it. The city, which if I travel to Japan again, I will visit again, certainly. However, this part of the trip, on train, as usual, was a little bit more stressful than the other parts. If you miss your train, there shall be usually no problem. You go and adjust the ticket, meaning getting permission to get on board another one but still have to go through the process and I don't know what you would do, if you're in a remote area where there's no office. 

When you're going to Nagasaki, you are transferring to Kyushu Shinkansen, which although a different company, you still can use your JR Pass. However, at one point, or two, you need to be fast, jumping out of one train and jumping into another one! 

I, again, decided to get a cab after I arrived at the station. My mistake, from the beginning, was taking the big and heavy computer from work, because I was making sure I wouldn't miss major things from work. Then I bought a few stuffs in Tokyo and by the time I was in other cities, I had two heavy bags in addition to my backpack! The problem was that I had forgotten to register for Mt. Fuji climb. So, half of the stuff in my backpack were useless! 

Nevertheless, the taxi did not make a mistake this time and I was at Hotel Forza in a shopping area of the city. This actually happen to be a good part to land, shopping, dining, seaside park, almost everything was close by. But I'm sure there are other parts of the city that you can stay and enjoy.

Nagasaki was the second city which was targeted by Americans using Atomic Bomb. However, because it's too far away from Tokyo, not as many tourists visit it. I also learnt that Nagasaki was one of the major cities that the foreigners land many years ago and that was Spanish and Dutch, but they never had the same impact that on a country such as the Philippines. There also, appears, to be a neighbourhood that only foreigners from Europe lived and that area was even governed by themselves. Chinese also was part of the city and there still a is small dining and shopping area exists. 

This picture shows a moment that men are pushing a sort of cart while drums and other instruments are being played. I do not know what this, ceremony, if I can call it is called but it was very exciting the way they beat those drums, they were shouting and yelling, throwing their fist in the air and of course Japanese flute is amaxing

It is a beautiful city, and it is also hot because you're closer to the south. In fact, you're 1200 km (745 m) south of Tokyo! Most of my time was spent in viewing what is left from the atomic bomb attack and the related monuments and for that, I walked all the way from the hotel which was nearly 1 hour walk but gave me the chance to see parts of the city as well! I also rested in a cafe near the Peace Statue and had a cup of (horrible!) coffee and a few pieces of (not so appealing!) cake and bought a few small souvenirs. The problem with these tourist spots, in every country, and specially in a populated country such as Japan is that it's just enough that a couple of schools decide to bring the student for a visit, and you're done! That, of course, happened when I was there but I still was able to see most of the things and take a few pictures. The interesting thing about the memorial section for the victims of atomic bomb in Nagasaki was the number of statutes and pieces that the former Eastern Bloc countries, as a sign of opposition to the US, has donated to the City of Nagasaki! 

My rest gave me the strength to go all the way, and, on my way, I checked a shopping mall and its food sections and stores, but I didn't buy anything as the same story was narrated there: The kind of food that I usually don't eat and also expensive! 

This, probably, is not such an important shrine but I was walking around the city in the first afternoon after my arrival and I noticed that. There was an old man whom I approached by saying Sumimasen, which means excuse me. He turned back to me and I showed him the sentence that I had typed on my phone saying: Am I allowed to go up to see the shrine and he confirmed

One of the most interesting things that I encountered, amongst many others in Japan, happened in Nagasaki. There were groups of people who had some sort of street traditional performance with traditional music and dress. I don't know exactly what it was about but I saw them a few times on the streets and people loved them and cheered on them. I know something like that could rarely happen in, for example, in Tokyo, considering the congestion and population. Not that it's totally impossible and I think they have their own street performances and festivals but it was something really interesting. Unfortunately I only can post pictures of that here in this post but I might post a clip to YouTube one day, although the quality of them is not so good as I used a cellphone camera. I'm thinking of buying a video camera and perhaps a new camera to replace my old Canon. Some might say that they shall be purchased in Japan as that where they are designed and manufactured but the electronic equipment that the Japanese companies manufacture for exporting is different from what they make for domestic use. I bought a Casio watch and despite the fact that the store treated me very nicely and even gave me the warranty card, I realized that all the instructions were in Japanese after I unwrapped the box! Besides, it might have difficulty finding battery for that. Nevertheless, if I can't fix the old camera (a sort of hair-like object appears in photos!) I will purchase one before heading to Japan or shortly after my arrival but I need to do a good study.

The other time I went to Seaside Park and then I decided to go and see Magami Bridge but soon I realized that I had made a mistake! My plan, as usual, was to walk to the bridge, cross on to the other side, by walking of course, take a few pictures and then walk back but after a few blocks I realized that I was walking beside Road 499, a very busy highway-like road and it'd not be so pleasant to do that, neither safe! So i simply turned back and headed to the hotel! This already is listed on the To-do list for the time I'm going back. 
Glover Garden is one of the main destinations in the Nagasaki area. I didn't go inside. I simply didn't want to pay the admission but now I think I shall go on my next trip. Apparently it is a complex that the foreigners used to live, as I stated above and now has been turned into a revenue spot for the locals! You shall check the area, even if you have no intention to see the garden. There are plenty of very nice stores where you can buy food and souvenirs. That, pretty much, is all I can tell about Nagasaki. I walked back to the station, It was not hard and since Nagasaki is a smaller station compared to the other major cities, it was not hard to find Shinkansen. My destination was Narita International Airport.

Out after 10 Years (15): Hiroshima

I head south after the one stay in Kyoto-Arashiyama area. I will go back to the area on my next trip for sure. My first destination was Hiroshima. This city is a destination for Western tourists for what happened to it in Aug. of 1945. An atomic bomb was dropped on the city in the 6th day of that month and detonated above the city. It turned the city to ashes, basically. I, as usual, had booked a hotel in the city and I have to write about this hotel a little bit because it was an interesting experience. This was a contact-less hotel! What it means is there was no receptionist. You are given a code, after you book and pay, first, of course and you use that to open the main entrance. Then you enter your information into a screen when you're in and then you use a code to get to your own room. The door then closes and automatically locks behind you!

The best thing you can do is going to a Japanese antic store and buy unique and nice stuff

It is a very nice room: Two beds, which one of them of course was used. A small kitchen with stove, utensils, refrigerator and other required items for cooking, a toilet and a separate bathroom. This is ideal for someone like me who does not eat outside and likes to cook but I didn't get the chance to use it. If you're going to the city then Hotel CLS-SS could be where you rest. This for another reason was my favorite: There's no lobby or bar so you don't see the drunkard and annoying asshole you always see around and inside the hotel handing out! I must add that it was where the stupid taxi driver missed first when he picked me up! So, please avoid taxi in Japan, anywhere, as much as you can and it's not for the cost. It's for not understanding English! Leave the Japan's taxis for the Japanese!

Hiroshima is a very green and beautiful city like everywhere else I have been to in the country

My main focus in Hiroshima was whatever is on display regarding the bombing as well as the temple but the actual temple was vaporized after the bombing! So there was some substitute building! The transportation is done by Tram and for that I was not very comfortable. I went to a major electronic store, which I don't remember the name and bought a DVD set of Kurosawa films! When I asked the fellas whether they had any more of the director the answer was negative! It was mostly raining during those day and it was not very pleasant. People who visit Hiroshima also go to the harbor but I didn't! I just walk around a little bit and took pictures. That was where I saw Hiroshima Expressway and was stunned. The road is located nearly 20 meters above the ground. I think Hiroshima is the city that I would not go back to. It just doesn't have enough for me to make another trip but certainly worth visiting for at least 3 days, once.

(Photo, top: Some victims' ashes are kept here in the city)