i stayed just few days back in seoul because my plan told me to depart soon to japan for a really big adventure. i had quite a lot things to organize left though my flight was confirmed, so the first, most important step was already done. fortunately robert had already been in tokyo 1 1/2 weeks ahead so i could consult him anytime. i bought me an one-week japan-rail-pass at a travel agency in seoul, which would let me travel by train all over japan without anything else (we call it now the *golden pass* because you really get treated almost royal with and at the same time you save much money). the last important thing was to book a hostel bed in tokyo as a start, possibly near robert's. i can honestly say that hostels in japan are so well organized that you'll never ever consider stying in a hotel. i met a last time with bernd, the third austrian companion in at seoul365 who departed, one day ahead my flight, also for japan. on 22nd of january i departed from seoul and arrived 2 great hours of flying later tokyo, narita.
one hour by train and i met together with robert at the *sakura hostel* in asakusa, TOKYO::: where i stayed 6 days exploring the city. robert took me out the first evening for some very useful introductions of our near surrounding, Asakusa, the most traditional citypart left over in tokyo and trying out japanese mcdonalds. yes, quite the same. in the following days i stayed either on my own, which was most of the time during the day, or we explored some special attractions together. one of my first destinations was city center, at least geographically. the huge area of the imperial palace is set there as a green island, surrounded by a moat which is partly accessible most of the week. boardering to, a lot of the most important buildings offering an incredible skyline. it must be like the sight from central park towards new york city. on 29th bernd joined us, coming straight from kyoto for celebrating chinese new year together but there was one problem, japan don't do. so we decided just to sit in the lobby aka living room of the hostel and got to know some of the many australians who currently fled the country. one day, robert and me used to see the chic-est and most crowded part of the city, Shibuya, Omote-Sando and Aoyama. as well crammed with world famous architecture and shop-design from Herzog&De Meuron, SANAA, Toyo Ito, MVRDV, Tadao Ando and so on. the second last day before robert and i left, we three got up terribly early to go towards the harbour to see the famous Tsukiji-fish market. after this unbelievable and exiting experience we dropped into one of the near sushi bars to enjoy the best sushi ever, for breakfast at 7am. in my six days in tokyo i've experienced and seen quite all of the most important things once, nothing more, but these days were just fantastic!
there is no bright light shining left on european railroad companies when you start comparing them with the japanese counterpart. the service is great, space is even big enough for me and the interior completely flexible. furthermore you feel like sitting first class in an airplane and even with almost the same speed. the first impressive contact made was on our journey on 28th of january from tokyo to KYOTO:::, passing by the famous mt.fuji. as the former capital, kyoto is packed full with an imperial palace und many temples and shrines. robert and me were now traveling together for four days before i left for my next destination. armed with a dayticked for the busses we explored some of the most important places and buildings in the city. it's often kind of magic, walking trough thousands of red gates (torii), leading up a hill or feeling the spirit in the quiet shrines. even heralds of spring caught us there. beautiful! especially the simplicity and modesty of the holy buddhist sites made me impressed. only the dubious geisha district was a bit fishy what made us flee in a good old irish pub with a smooth pint of guinnes.
there are several daytrips available from kyoto to some places in the surrounding. we chose one of them, NARA::: , just one hour by train with your jr-pass. this city is almost more sacred like kyoto and perfect for a half day stroll through a beautiful park, partly leading up the hill and funny exiting with thousands of deer living there in fully freedom. the park contains also many beautiful shrines and temples and not one car disturbs the trail of smoke around the insence burners. one shrine, surrounded by a huge amount of stone laterns and inside just more of them was a very special place for me. two times a year all of them are going to be lit up, creating a sea of lights in the woods. just magic.
in the late afternoon of the 31st, i waved robert goodbye at the main train station of kyoto heading foreward to the city of HIROSHIMA::: in the south of japan. everybody knows about the tragic history of hiroshima in the second world war but now it's a vibrant, modern city again with 1.2 million citizens. the city of peace, which is now the attitude, has now a peace memorial park on the place where the bomb detonates in 1945 and around the building which bears witness with its ruins, the a-bombe dome. there are several memorials more in this park and one museum which tells the whole story and provides many informations more. you can feel a slightly tragic cloud still hanging over this park.
hiroshima is set in a river-delta and has some islands near offshore. one of them is MIYAJIMA ISLAND::: which i visited on my very last day in japan. it's reached easiliy by a short trip by train and ferry. yet soon before the arrival you get a glimpse of japan's most pictured sight, the floating torii of itsukushima temple. the island itself is a paradise nature island with magic shrines near sandy beaches leading into the skyblue sea and wonderful lonely trails up the main peak. lonely because there is a cablecar bringing all the tourists on and off. there is even a scared face staring at you out of the tourist office if you ask for the trail up the hill and finally tells you nervous to take some chocolate with you. 'haha, guess where i'm from!' this was the best decision could be done and i spent my last day hiking in the sun with an amazing view in my back. returning back from the top to the small town, i took another trail downhill, which led me through woods. suddenly some unusual noise from the leaves reached me and in the next moment i saw a group of wild monkeys swilgle above my head. after a little exited and a bit scared while of watching and taking photos i continued my way down. just unbelievable!
on the next day, the 3rd of february, i left japan with a happy smile inside heading foreward to seoul. such a great, exciting and convenient country traveling and backpacking through.
at this time i was not very sad leaving after just 2 weeks because i was looking foreward to two weeks exploring the great city of seoul with julia!
