Kyoto (18 – 20 Dec. 2010)

We arrived late in the evening and realized finding our hostel in Kyoto was a little difficult. So we ended up taking a taxi from the train station.  More and more I experience that if only I had a compass it would be so much easier to find my way around. Also it is just much more easier to find your way when there is daylight.

After our positive experience biking in Takayama, we decided to see the sites in Kyoto by bike. That may have not been the smartest idea. It seems that Kyoto, not surprisingly, is a rather big city to see in just one day (basically the 19th) by bicycle. Most of the sites to see are located on the outskirts of the city, making the bike trip a little long. We also started the day a little late. By the time we got to the Silver Pavilion (Ginkaku-ji), located in north-eastern corner of the city, it was already 16:30. On the plus side the sun sets around 17:00 – 18:00, which for photographer is the perfect time to take landscape photos.

Having to return the bikes by 18:30 we rushed back in the dark desperately trying to locate the bike rental store, just barely making it back on time. Despite not seeing all the major sites in Kyoto, we did manage to see quite a few things along the way, such as the Kyoto International Manga Museum and Imperial Palace (can’t actually see the palace, because it is behind high walls).

One japanese dish I really like is sushi, so in Kyoto we ate at a sushi bar where the sushi comes on a conveyor belt. The best way to be served sushi!

Takayama (16 – 18 Dec. 2010)

After sleeping on the train the last two hours of our journey from Tokyo, we finally arrived around 20:00 in the small town called Takayama in the alps of Japan.

After a big city like Tokyo it was really relaxing to come to the charming town in the Alps. Because the area is not so big it is not easy to find cheap hostels. This meant I had to stay at a more expensive hotel. The experience of the hotel was however really pleasant. The breakfast provided a good range of delicious Japanese food in addition to more western meals. Also proper Japanese indoor clothing was provided for a more comfortable stay.

On the 17^th I spent the day touring the town by renting a bicycle. This was a great way of seeing the sites. The bike I used is the most common bicycles used in Japan, the city style bicycles, with three or no gears, and a basket in the front. On the last day I visited a part of the town used to preserve old houses (kind of like folkemuseum in Oslo).

The biggest disappoint of Takayama, were the ancient ruins on the top a high hill. Getting to this place was far, and to make things worse, when I finally got there, there was nothing. Not a single stone! All that was there was a single picture explain what the building looked like. However the bike trip and the hike was fun!

Fact of the day: In Japan you enter the bus from the back and pay on exiting in the front. The opposite of Norway.

Nagoya (16 Dec. 2010)

To continue onwards to Takayama we needed to change trains at Nagoya. So we spent a couple of hours at Nagoya seeing the site(s). Actually the only thing worth seeing in such short time is Nagoya Castle. Sadly the castle and other near by ancient building were bombed during WWII. Nagoya Castle was reconstructed, but unfortunately the other buildings burned to the ground.

Other than the castle the city is a little dull.

Mt. Fuji (16 Dec. 2010)

The most renowned mountain, or actually volcano, in Japan is Mt. Fuji. Since we were passing the volcano on our way to Nagoya, I thought it would be appropriate to stop at the station nearest to the mountain and take a photo before continuing onwards with our journey.  However when we arrived at Shin-fuji station I realized that taking a photo was just not so easy. From the station there are just to many buildings, towers, and signs destroying the view. In addition the weather was cloudy and so most of the mountain was covered in clouds. As I left the stations, continuing onwards on my train journey, all of a sudden the sky cleared up and Mt. Fuji could be seen in all its glory. Using a polarized filter on my camera, to reduce the window glaze, a snapped the photo I had planed to take.

Tokyo (12 – 16 Dec. 2010)

It goes without saying that Tokyo is a big city. Nevertheless it still is shocking for someone like me to experience just how big it really is. Travelling around Tokyo by subway seems to be the best thing to do as a tourist. It is just too big to walk from the different districts in Tokyo, and difficult to orientate oneself. In many ways Tokyo really does not have a centre. It seems like each district is its own city. There is so much to see that even spending 4 days (the longest time I will be spending at any of the Japanese city) is just not long enough.

The subway is quite good and easy to use. However it is not a good idea to be there during rush-hour as I experienced on my last day. Never in my life have I been so squashed in a train. Luckily it was winter, because the high temperature and bad air in the train is enough to make one almost pass out from exhaustion.

Temperature has been mild, approximately 16 – 7 °C. Some days were rainy while other days were quite sunny. Similar kind of weather one would experience in Oslo during September to October.

The great thing about Tokyo is that there are all sort of different things to see if one has the time. Beautiful building, museums and temples can be found within walking distance from the subway. For those who really like shopping this is definitely the place to be. You can find almost anything here.

Japanese people are really friendly, and will go out of their way to help you if you are lost.

My biggest disappointment was that I didn’t get to see the bay area.

Fact of the day: According to the Japanese calendar we are entering into the year of the rabbit. 

Crossing the Continent to the Far East (11-12 Dec. 2010)

And so after months of pretty much on and off planning, me and my sister Annette finally take off for our journey to the far east. Our first destination is Tokyo, Japan. 

So far just travelling from Gardemoen airport has been interesting.  I’ve noticed people are really fascinated that I am travelling to Japan. I’ve been to many countries, but have rarely noticed so much enthusiasm from the check-in guy, air hostess, etc. We will be travelling for 15 hours. I thought that was long until I met an old man who was going to be travelling for 24 hours. And he was only travelling to Thailand!

Thanks Goran for the bag. I managed to take your bag and the camera bag I bought. I look probably a bit overkill in the picture, but surprisingly the total weight is just under 20 kg. Thanks Koji for all the help. We were a bit tired, so we didn’t book all the train trips at the airport. However we will do that in Tokyo.

Fact of the day: According to our Japan Rail Pass, we are in the year 22.