I am officially a tourist in Japan. Jana, Annie, and I went to Mito where Jana and I switched over our visas. I went from an instructor to a visitor. I have no job and no purpose right now. It is a strange feeling.

The next day Akiko, her sister and young son and I all drove up to Lake Biwa National Park to enjoy the day.  It was one of the first times for me to be in a car in Japan that was not a taxi.  It was just simple Toyota but compared to cars of that type in Canada it was very modern.  It had built in GPS and a camera in the back bumper to help with parking.  I wish my bis came with a camera in the back so I could see the idiots that wlak behind me when I am backing up my 45 foot vehicle. 

Lake Biwa is Japan's largest park and is home to a nice aquarium and small forest and gardens along the west coast of the lake.  For many years Lake Biwa was very polluted and was dangerous to your health if you lived near it.  These days the lake is healthy and many Japanese come here to enjoy one of the few large fresh water lakes in the country.

The young boy enjoyed running around like crazy on the park's trails.  The only trouble was he seemed to be attracted to water and we were always worried that he was going to fall into one of the many ponds or the lake itself.  He finally succeeded when he fell into a the old Japanese style toilet and had to be rescued by a slightly embarrassed mother. 

Akiko, Akiko's mom and I all left Osaka and headed towards Lake Biwa for some family time.  New Years is a much biggest family holiday in Japan then Christmas but since we would be heading back home then the family moved the party forward.  We met in a city called Otsu which was the home of Akiko's sister and her family.  Also coming was her brother and and his family so the place was going to be crowded, good thing the condo was a bit bigger then the common sized Japanese apartment. 

At some point trying to understand all the Japanese and being a bit crowded I ask if it was ak for me to go for a walk.  Most of the family was very concerned I would have some troubles as Otsu is not very English friendly but Akiko told them I was great at directions and I would be fine.  That ended up being a bit of bad luck as you will find out.

I went for a walk along the river and just kind of wandered without paying attention.  One of the funniest things happened as I was walking.  I came across a minor construction site that had closed the sidewalk.  There was a middle aged worker there directing traffic and pedestrians and I could see him getting worried as I walk closer.  It was quite obvious were to walk and what he needed me to do but he made great big hand signals and I was afraid he was going to try to hold my hand as I walk past.  He looked so happy when I thanked him in Japanese and walked where he wanted me to. 

It was time for me to feed my cola addiction.  Generally it is not hard ot find a vending machine in Japan but this area did not seem to have one that was obvious.  So I sort of wandered some more until I found a machine just outside a daycare.  Now the problem was I needed to head back and really had no idea where I was.  I could sort of see the area I needed to go but there was a large river in the way and a lot of railway tracks.  I did manage to find a way across the river but now I could not see the building I needed to go.  I was lost and was not sort how many people in this area could speak English enough to help me.  Of course I could not even tell them the address as I had no thought to write it down. 

After what seemed like a couple of hours of stress I found the building and had a new problem.  Like all modern buildings this one had a security system that requires you to use an intercom to talk to a the tenant who hopefully will buzz you into the building.  The trouble was the directory was in Japanese and while I can speak a few words and might even recognize my own name in kanji there is no way I was going to be able to read these names.  Like a common thief I just waited for someone else to enter the building and followed them up.  I guess I looked safe as they did not seem concerned when I followed them in.

Andrea and I woke up at 5:35 and were in the lobby by 5:45. We checked out, grabbed a taxi to the airport, and got in line. While we were in line we were asked the standard questions: “Do you have any liquids?” “Do you have anything that could be used as a weapon?” “Has your luggage been out of your sight?” We were then informed that our carry on luggage would be checked numerous times.

We got our tickets and then went through customs where the computer crashed and we had to move to a different line. Once we got through the line we had a half hour before our plane was going to take off. We then got to security check point number one where we went through the metal detectors and had our carry on luggage put through the x-ray. For those of you who don’t know peanut butter is considered a liquid. The airport security can and will take it from you.

Andrea and I had been arguing this point. I said it was a liquid but Andrea wanted to check so when we left Koh Samui she asked the Thai Airlines and they said that peanut butter was not a liquid. I figured at that point I would no longer argue because an airline had spoken. While Thai Airlines may agree with Andrea, United Airlines sided with me and our peanut butter was taken away from us.

After that security checked we were lined up where the hand held metal detector was used on us and we had to open our carry on luggage for a personal inspection. Once that was done we had two minutes or so before our seats were called to board.

I got a window seat on the flight back to Japan and I fell asleep for two hours. The flight was uneventful until I noticed that the sky was pretty clear…not a lot of clouds. The pilot agreed with me and announced ten minutes or so before landing that there would be a great view of Mount Fuji out the left windows of the plane. Guess where I was sitting!!! ON THE LEFT SIDE! Right out my window was Mount Fuji snow cap peak above the cloud line. It was the first time I have seen Mount Fuji from a plane and it was a picture perfect site. In fact, I have the picture to prove it.

Andrea and I decided to take the trains back to Arakawaoki and they ran like clock work. We didn’t need to wait at a single station. We arrived to the platform, the train pulled up, and we were good to go. The trains were cheaper than the bus and I didn’t think the couple of extra minutes was that big of deal. I wouldn’t want to do it with a ton of luggage but for what we had the train was perfect.

We got back to Arakawaoki around 4:00pm, grabbed Andrea’s car (which was waiting for us at Beth and Kevin’s), and drove back to our apartments. IT IS GOOD TO BE HOME!

I had an amazing time in Thailand and will be going back some time. I want to see Bangkok, Chiang Rai, and Karabi.

Andrea and I are heading to Thailand! (Oh, I am so excited!!) We left Ami at 2:00pm and rode down to the Narita Airport with Beth and Kevin. They are also going to Thailand but instead of doing the north and south of country they are going to stick to the beaches and more tropical areas. The car ride was fun; we listened to the Sweeney Todd CD. Try the priest.

We got to the airport at 3:45 pm and promptly lost Beth and Kevin. I think they had to head to terminal 2 for their flight instead of terminal 1. I bought another book at the airport. I know I didn’t need to buy it but one can never have too many books when they travel. Andrea and I wandered around the airport for an hour and finally sat down to get some food. The plan left at 6:30pm and we figured on getting through customs at 1:00am no time to find food before getting a couple of hours of sleep.

Thus far the flight hasn’t been bad but it has been impossible to sleep. The guy sitting next to me kept coughing and the two girls, sitting behind me (they must be seven or eight), are leg wrestling. Their parents appear to be sitting in first class and the girls are back in economy.

We will check into our hotel at the Bangkok airport, get a couple of hours of sleep, fly out early, and arrive in Chiang Mai around 10:00am!

Andrea and I packed. I admit that I procrastinated and probably drove Andrea nuts but I have been stressed about the trip. (More on that to come) Any way we are packed and we are only bringing one rather large duffle bag for the two of us. I know that I am not bringing enough pants but I am hoping to buy some long skirts when I am in Chiang Mai. I live in Japan. It is hot during the summer. I have no idea how I don’t have any summer clothes. All that is left to pack is our last minute items and our backpacks.

Between the two of us I think we will have enough books to cover the vacation. I am brining at least five and Andrea is bringing three or four. Most people think that is over kill but we are going to be spending a couple of hours (at least) on a bus and probably riding a train over night. Thus we will need books. On top of that that we are spending five days on the beach (one must have books for the beach). We also tend to turn in early. We are not the type of people to do the ‘nightlife’ thing and we read before bed. As you can see, we are going to need the books.

We have all of our hotels booked. That is done! (FINALLY) It took forever to get a hotel on Ko Samui. I finally found an on-line booking agency that found us a hotel. That stress is over with! Because it took us so long to get the hotel for the island most of the flights to the island are booked. That brings me to the stress.

Now, I just need to figure out how to get us from Chiang Mai to Sukhothai. Odds are that will be a five hour bus ride. From Sukhothai, I need to get us to Ko Samui. I have no idea how that is going to happen. We could fly from Sukhothai to Bangkok and from Bangkok take a sleeper train to Phun Phin, hop on a bus to Surat Thai and then get on a ferry to Ko Samui. We could also fly to Bangkok and then fly to Ko Samui (but it looks like all of the flights are booked). There is the option of trying to fly from Bangkok to Surat Thai and then getting on ferry to Ko Samui. As you can see we have options but I don’t have any time tables because I have no idea where to find that information. I going to ask our hotel in Chiang Mai to help us out.

 It sounds like this is the way most things are in Thailand. Laidback, you get there when you get there. That is now how I operate. I like schedules (at least for trains, planes, and ferries). We will see. At least we will be in the country!

Andrea gave me free reign for the trip and she is pretty laid back about things so I don’t think she will mind if things change (a bit). We fly out tomorrow at 6:35am. Beth and Kevin are also flying out around that time so we are heading down to the airport with them. We land in Bangkok at 11:40pm, sleep for four or five hours and fly out for Chiang Mai at 7:45. We get there at 8:55am and the adventure really starts!

I hope to stop at a couple of internet cafés so I might be updating during the trip. If I don’t I will do a couple of massive updates when I get back.

Alright, so here it is. This blog is dedicated to my backpacking journey to Europa!!

First off, let me just briefly tell you about my travel plan.

On December 8th (Saturday), 2007, I'm departing from Narita International Airport and arriving in Frankfurt am Main, Germany on the same date (about 15 hours flight with one transfer in Copenhagen, Denmark). I'll be exploring the city of Frankfurt for a few days and leave for Nürnberg (famous for Christmas markets!), then for Christmas I'm planning to spend time in Praha, Czech Republic. After Czech, I'd like to go clockwise around Europe then back to Frankfurt to fly back to Japan in January, 2008.

I'll basically be staying in a dorm room at youth hostels during my trip. Plus, lucky me still being not over 26-year-old, I was able to purchase Eurail Global Pass for youth at discount price. In case you don't know what the Eurail Global Pass is, it's a rail pass with which you can get on trains in European countries for flat rate within the number of days you bought for (with some exceptions).

I just started packing my stuff this afternoon, but I'm only taking a few things with me so I'll be all fine. I'll make sure to bring something to keep me warm. :) Here's a photo of (almost) everything I'll take with me (the photo on top).

So far I've got...

1. Backpack
2. Down jacket I bought at Shimamura (it's like a Japanese Target) for 3,000 yen (gonna wear it on me)
3. 2 pair of jeans (gonna wear one on me)
4. A pair of sneakers (gonna wear)
5. Clothes (tops, socks, leggins) - yeah, I like to wear bright pink.
6. Towels (small ones)
7. And other items like tooth brush and conversion adapter compatible anywhere in Europe that I bought for 2,000 yen at Bic Camera in Yurakucho.
8. Digital camera (of course)
9. Small maps, language books and passport, youth hostel card, credit card...and money

...did I miss anything?

The past weekend was jam packed with interesting events. On Saturday, I met up with my old Japanese TA from the States. We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Harajuku. Afterward, we walked over to Meiji-shrine or Meiji-jingu, which is a quiet seclusion from the madness of Harajuku. Surrounded by Cypress trees, this shrine was erected in honor of Emperor Meiji in 1920. The original was destroyed during the Second World War and was rebuilt shortly after, but you couldn't tell this by looking at it. We made sure to complete the visit with 5-yen offerings, omikuji, and we even saw a traditional wedding procession pass by. It was a nice day to visit the shrine.

Later that evening, some friends and I went out to Tsuchiura for the largest fireworks show in Japan. Located in the far countryside of Ibaraki-ken, Tsuchiura is about an hour outside of Tokyo. We made sure to bring obentos and a tarp so we could watch the show beside the river. Being the largest fireworks show, it was also extremely crowded, but we had a nice time and saw some great fireworks. It turned out that we didn't need our obentos since the banks of the river were lined with food vendors selling yakisoba to candy apples. We made sure to hit them up on our way back, which took us almost 3 hours!

The Tsuchiura train station is too small to handle the capacity of fireworks visitors that come out to see the show. Therefore, when it was over, the masses swarmed back to the station to catch the train home. The problem? There's not enough room on the trains to accomodate everyone, so we had to line up outside the train station and wait for over an hour. It was like Disneyland. By the time we made it to the platform, we were swept on board the train by a rush of people and jammed wall-to-wall like it was rush hour. Because it took us so much longer to return back, we missed our last train home. This was not so good. We had to stay out all night until the trains started back up again at 5:30a.

So, this left us in Shinjuku. Luckily, we searched out a 24-hour internet "cafe" where we decided to hole up until sunrise. When I say internet cafe, it's not like you would think in the States or Europe. The cafes here are more like back rooms filled with little cubicles. Each cubicle has it's own computer and a small bench/reclining chair where you can lie down. It's a cheap solution though when you miss your last train and don't want to sleep in a "capsule" hotel. We paid for 5 hours and it cost us under a 1000 yen (about 10 USD). I was able to sleep some, but the cubicles are definitely not long enough to accomodate a 6-foot guy comfortably.

At 6am, we stumbled out of the cafe and made our way back to the train station. I had enough time to nap on the train ride back to Minami-Nagareyama. However I was to meet my friend Aiko that same morning at 8 so that we could spend the day in Tsukuba. I rushed back to the dorm, showered, and went back to the trainstation to catch the express out to Tsukuba. Aiko and I met up with Erika and Matt, all of whom were exchange students at UCSD the year before last. Together, we caught a bus up to Tsukuba-san or Tsukuba mountain. At only 870 meters, it's not the tallest mountain in Japan, but it was pretty. We opted to skip the 60 minute hike to the top (thankfully because I think I would've fallen asleep while hiking, which can spell out danger on a mountain) and instead took the handy 5 minute tram. They have everything here for convenience in Japan. The view from the top was beautiful, although by the time we left, it too was becoming quite crowded.

All of us slept on the bus ride back to the station, but our day was far from over. We went to the University of Tsukuba (where Erika is a senior) for their school festival. It was a truly enjoyable experience. Many of the schools in Japan take some time off to have their festivals which consist of events, food, concerts, drink, and merriment. I wish the schools in the States would pick up more on this. The spirit of the school and the students really came out when I was there. I felt like this was a great experience to be a part of.

The campus is much bigger than Sophia and is very pretty, especially as the foliage is making its progression toward autumn colors. We wandered, ate lots of delicious, cheap food, saw a magic show, participated in a traditional Japanese tea-ceremony, and listened to many different types of music, including an accapella concert.

As the evening drew to a close, we walked to a nearby pub for drinks. A tiny place, it was filled to the brim with other students and was very lively. We talked in Japanese and English over beers and more food. The time passed and finally it was time to go home. I had a great time catching up with some friends and spending the day in Tsukuba. I got back at 11:30p and crashed. I felt like the weekend had rushed by, but as I sit here typing out the events, I realize that it was truly a busy weekend.

Martin and I caught the first ferry to Wakkanai. I am now back in Ami and Martin is making his way to Tokyo. The ferry ride was beautiful and we could see Rishiri –zan for the entire ride.

When we got to Wakkanai, Martin headed for the train station and I went to an onsen for a couple of hours before I headed to the station. The airport onsen was very nice. For 1,000 you get two towels, a bathrobe, and you can spend as much time as you want in the onsen. The onsen had four baths: a bubble bath, a hot bath, a medium-hot bath, and an amazing outdoor bath on a patio. I spent an hour and a half at the onsen and then I headed to the airport.

My flight was fine and I caught the bus heading for the Hitachi-no-ushiku station at the airport. The bus ride was LONG because everyone was leaving Tokyo. I think it took us about forty minutes to get out of the city. On the plus side, we could see the fireworks from on of the summer festivals while we were stuck in traffic. Matt picked me up from the bus station and took me home.

It was an amazing trip and if I get the chance I will be visiting more of Hokkaido again. The next time, I will rent a car so I can visit more of the national parks.

I leave for Hokkaido tomorrow and the travel butterflies are settling in my stomach! Matt (my boss at interTalk) is picking me up to take me to Tsukuba Center at 5:40 tomorrow morning. At the center, I will catch the 6:45 bus that is heading to Haneda Airport. My flight takes off at 10:40! The flight will land in Hakodate tomorrow at noon!!!!

I woke up at nine today and started doing the pre-trip cleaning. I hate returning to a messy apartment. I scrubbed out the kitchen and now I am working on the main room. The last thing will be organizing all of my packing.

Beth (a wonderful ALT) loaned me a pair of hiking pants and books so along with the pair of hiking pants and shirts that I bought last weekend I am pretty much set on clothes. I also ran to the store today and bought some dried fruit and nuts now I will have something to munch on while I hike. Oh, I also remembered to buy sunscreen. Sunburn is painful and I want to avoid that. I finally bought a new pair of tennis shoes and I am trying to break them in today so my feet will not hurt to badly when I walk around Hakodate tomorrow.

The one problem I am going to have is with my books. I am planning on taking Lonely Planet: Japan and the Lonely Planet: Japan Hiking but then I want to bring some fun books. I have Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, The Kite Runner, and The Memory Keeper’s Daughter all in my must bring pile. I know that it is way too many books and it will make my duffle bag heavy but I just can’t bare to leave any of them behind. Geez, I have problem when it comes to packing books. Oh well, I am not backpacking so they will just be sitting in the hostels while I hike so it shouldn’t be too bad.

If you visit Japan during the summer be sure to stop by a summer festival. Most of the towns have one and they are advertised. Ami’s festival is called My Ami Festival and it is held on the first weekend in August. The highlight on Saturday is the parade of shrines and the event on Sunday is the Bon Dance.

This year the weather was too hot so I only attended the festival on Saturday night when the parade of shrines was being held. Every neighborhood in Ami has its own little shrine and they are carried around on first night of the festival. It has to be exhausting as the shrines are not light and the weather was hot. Nevertheless, it looked ask though everyone was having a great time.

The summer festivals also have some wonderful food. Shaved ice is a favorite of the younger visitors while the adults will eat corn on the cob, yaki-soba, octopus balls, and Okonomiyaki.