Land of the Rising Sun

We did it! We made it to our 11th and final country, Japan! We arrived a week ago after catching a red eye out of Hong Kong. I've taken several red eyes before but the view out of the airplane window was the best airplane sunrise I've ever seen which I find ironic considering we were headed for "the land of the rising sun". Flying above the clouds it felt as if we were somewhere between space and earth as the sun illuminated the curvature of the earth. We took heaps of pictures but I must admit that they barely do it any justice.

Due to the language barrier, jetlag, and rigid Japanese customs, the first day in Tokyo was rough! We've been traveling for 5 and 1/2 months and just as we thought we were mastering this whole traveling thing, Japan reminded us that we will never know everything about traveling. We were interrogated and had our bags searched by airport immigration upon arrival. (I suppose nearly a dozen stamps in our passports over half a year is suspect.) We then struggled to figure out our train route to our hotel. The icing on the cake was when our hotel was unable to accomodate us with an early check-in after finally making it there. In their defense, it was 7 AM when we arrived. Despite the shortcomings, we made the most of our day with a tasty Udon lunch while exploring Shinjuku. After settling into our room that evening, our whole world shook. Literally, it shook! We were experiencing an earthquake. Jonathan woke me up and I was confident that we were going to die. We were on the 9th floor of the building and we felt the building sway for a good minute. Jonathan, on the other hand, was cool calm and collected and thought it was "fun". The good news is that we didn't die and were able to spend another two nights in Tokyo, earthquake free.

The Scramble AKA Shibuya Crossing

 

We stumbled upon a Kirin Brewery

Tokyo fashion

From Tokyo we took our first bullet train to Takayama. Japan is partly famous for its extensive and efficient railway system and it did not disappoint. The Shinkansen (bullet train) can go up to speeds of 200 miles per hour! At those speeds you can almost feel the G forces. We've taken ALOT of modes of transportation on our travels but this is by far my favorite. The bullet train is quick, roomy, punctual, clean, and direct. What more can you ask for? We arrived at our destination refreshed and ready to see the friendly town of Takayama.

Bullet train

Sunset in Takayama

View from our hike in Takayama

The view from the onsen on the top floor of our building

After a couple of days in Takayama and getting one last onsen session in, we took a train to Kyoto. This was not a bullet train but it still had all the benefits besides extreme speed. Next to our train were rushing streams, bamboo forests, and green mountains. Fortunately, the slower speed allowed us to peacefully view the picturesque countryside.

We made it to Kyoto in time for the Gion Matsuri festival, the biggest festival in Japan. The belief is that the events of the festival will ward off bad spirits. The day we arrived in Kyoto was the night preceding the parade, the main event. This meant that we were able to join the kimono clad crowd in viewing the floats and munching on unhealthy street food. The next morning we gathered on the sidewalks of Kyoto to see dozens of huge floats pulled through the streets by teams of chanting citizens. After getting our fill of the festivities, we visited the Imperial Palace Park. That evening we made our way over to a Trip Advisor recommended sushi restaurant. Unfortunately, once again we were lost in translation and ended up at the wrong restaurant. After sitting down in a private booth we quickly realized it was not a sushi restaurant. We managed to somehow explain that we only wanted drinks and slid out of there as fast as possible. We made it to the right restaurant a couple of blocks away, waited 30 minutes for a seat, and chatted with two Brazilian travelers about the World Cup before finally getting some sushi. Considering it was the best sushi we have ever had, we agreed that it was well worth all the effort to get there.

We had toro for the first time and loved it!

Currently, we are on a bullet train and headed to Miyajima for the day and we have plans to visit Hiroshima tomorrow. So far, we are enjoying our adventures in Japan and I look forward to sharing the rest of the trip with you!