Home ·· News Room ·· Prints ·· Licensing ·· Gallery ·· About Us ·· Contact Us ·· Articles ·· Services Japan stock photography trip, March 25 - April 4, 2005 Updated June 6, 2007 Page 1 of 5 Previous page Next page
	Japan April 2005, continued From Kyoto to Osaka, the train was empty and I had a few minutes to reflect on my trip so far, thanks to the incredible silence of the Shinkansen. Up to this point, it's been warp speed through Japan, hardly leaving any time to write postcards and certainly not time to write in the journal, hence just the general list of things seen rather than my punishing long descriptions. This is the usual timing on a trip, running at 110% for the first few days until I settle into a routine. Some notes about traveling in Japan. Bring hand sanitizer. Even though 5% of the people seem to wear masks for hay fever, you touch things, like handrails, that 1,000's of people touching daily. If you're a germ-o-phobe, this can be rough. A little sanitizer before you eat will keep the bugs away. It's good advice for subsequent trips. All transport here is done by bus, train and subway, rarely by taxi. A 15 minute ride from the ryokan to the train station was 1,000Y ($10). Not bas as Chicago is comparably priced. The biggest expense here seems to be the food. Dinner last night was Shabu shabu, sashimi, fruit and sundries for $53. The hotel was $62 per night, including breakfast in the core of the city. You can eat off $40/day easily, but eating pretty well. Sadly, I didn't know much about the places we visited, other than what my Lonely Planet guide had to tell me. It seems that knowledge of Japan is far more limited compared to China. Perhaps this is a product of being a closed society and there are few massive monuments in Japan compared to China. I've been comparing the two countries the whole trip - there really aren't that many similarities. Traffic is far safer in Japan, there are few bicycle riders, taxis dominate China and there are no Japanese equivalents of Chinese rip-off artists that permeate the tourist areas. The ride from Kyoto to Himeji took 50 minutes. China is covered in endless construction. Japan seems to have very little going on. These two countries are as different as they can possibly be. I saw two Maiko yesterday and from what people tell me, that's incredibly lucky. My guide at Himeji said she had been to the Gion district of Kyoto many times and had never seen any Maiko. Women only become Maiko after 8-10 years in the Geisha program. It's a lifetime commitment to be sure. The Maiko were always pleasant but seemed to be in a rush. What a brutal life. Wendy told me that when I thanked the alleyway Maiko with "Domo", that was far too informal for taking a photograph. "Arigato gozimas" or, better, a deep bow would have been a far better idea. It was neat to see the alley Maiko with her handler, too. The handler and other women were in a rapid fire bowing contest. We saw a bunch of women wearing kimonos as general dress. This is apparently a Kyoto trait. Older women don't like western clothing and younger women only want western clothes. Everyone dresses well here. No California casual. Even thi kids who look rough still have their high-end shoes, pants or otherwise. Trash is separated here for recycling. When you're living in such a packed country, there isn't much choice. Japan must be a beautiful place in the fall. The hillsides are covered in broad leaf trees and must turn to flame red and sunny yellow before falling off into the dead of winter. I ended up visiting Japan one week before the cherry blossoms broke out. They are just budding here but very few have flowered open. The philosopher's path through Kyoto is no doubt one of the most beautiful walks in the world for the week that the cherry trees blossom. A whole 2% of the year, Japan must have the best walks. People drive on the left side of the road here. It's very confusing about which way to look. Inattention can mean death here. I arrived in Hiroshima with no troubles at all. Figured out how to buy the Shinkansen train ticket to Himeji tomorrow, then found the Flex Hotel (that's the name) and checked in with ease. Finding English speakers is pretty simple. Hotel Flex has spacious rooms - you can almost walk around the beds without turning sideways. I don't know what people complain about. Got down to the A-bomb dome using the city trolley. Very fun and easy to use. The lady at the tourist center tried to convince me to walk to avoid the challenge of figuring out the fare, money and such, but I was able to squeeze the rail station location out of her. She seemed hard pressed to explain why she wanted me to walk half an hour. The dome isn't much of a site, just a broken concrete and steel building. That is, until you think about the implication of it. I went over and saw the eternal flame, meant to burn until the last nuclear weapon has been dismantled. After looking around the pleasant park for a while, I wandered over to Hiroshima Castle and ran into soccer players, skate boarders and other tourist groups. All quite fun! It's fascinating how the back alleys of Japan are clean - no garbage sitting around. That's very different than the rest of the world! Went back and captured the A-bomb dome at sunset with an eerie mix of colorful lights. I ate at a counter restaurant with a bunch of businessmen dutifully wolfing down their food. They all seem to leave work around 8pm! And you then see them in the morning at 7am. Way too many work hours for me. Previous page Next page
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