More Japan!!

After my much needed day of rest sailing to Kobe, I was ready to explore more of Japan.  We arrived in Kobe on Friday February 12, at around 7 AM.  Our plans for the day were to go to Kyoto, the former capital of Japan.  One thing I noticed about Kyoto is that if you rearrange the letters it spells Tokyo, the current capital of Japan.  Was that on purpose? 

The train ride from Kobe to Kyoto was about an hour.  Our first historical site was the Kiyomizu Temple.  It was breathtaking.  You entered under a traditional “gate” with statues of different gods on either side.  From there you walked up steps and saw more religious buildings, all with different statues.   Regardless of what religion you believe in, you could feel the reverence radiating everywhere.   The tranquility, statues, incense (I was surprised to smell incense), and beauty just stunned me.  There was a huge balcony and from there you could see the actual temple.  It was seated high on a hill overlooking Kyoto, again adding to the majesty of the temple.  Only pre-booked tours were allowed in so we just could look and walk around the grounds.  The grounds were also amazing.  There were trees, gardens, and ponds all adding to the reverence and awesomeness of the place.   We spent a good two hours walking around the temple, taking pictures (we got a few with geisha), going in and out of the gift shops and then stopped for lunch.  The restaurant (like every other one in Japan) was delicious.    

We tried to go to the Kyoto Imperial Palace, but it was closed to visitors when we got there.  We just spent a good deal of time walking around Kyoto, going in and out of stores, and just taking the city in.  It had a more laid back feeling then Tokyo.  The transportation system also wasn’t as great as Tokyo.  We mostly took buses around, but they were much slower.  We headed back to Kobe and the ship around 5 PM. 

We went to dinner in Kobe, but it wasn’t Kobe beef.  Once we saw the prices everyone was pretty much like “no.”  (Japan was more expensive then Hawaii!)  Dinner was great.  I still can’t get over the food in Japan- it’s amazing.  The restaurants, street vendors, pasty shops, and sushi places…it’s all so good!!  I also went to a McDonalds while in Kobe, and their portions are much smaller then back home.  A large in Japan is a medium in the U.S.  I also was disappointed in their coffee sizes.  The most I could get to go from a Japanese place was a 12-ounce cup.  I had to go to Starbucks for my 20-ounce java fix.    Starbucks, Seven-Eleven (surprised at this one) and McDonalds were everywhere in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kobe. 

After dinner in Kobe, we went to a 5-story building with bars on all five stories (I thought it was funny).  They were all local Japanese bars and I got to have to really good conversations with the few people inside who spoke English.  They were very interested about life in the U.S.,  and just about America in general.  I also really liked how my group didn’t go to the bar that was being advertised outside the ship (SAS special; drinks half off) because going to the local bars I really got the feel of the city, and it’s still a Japanese bar.   If you put all SAS students in a bar, it’s not a Japanese bar.  It’s a bar off of any college campus in the U.S. I really think the only way to really experience these countries is to interact and spend time with the locals.

I don’t just mean interacting with locals at bars…anywhere.  At the train station in Kyoto one guy ran up to us and shook all of our hands saying “Welcome to Japan!”  He talked to us about some places we should go to and then asked us questions about the U.S.  When I told him I was from Philly, he said “Liberty Bell.”  He knew a lot about the U.S. (could name all five boroughs of New York) and asked questions about the English language.  He was a character.   At some of the restaurants I was in, random customers would just ask our table questions like: “Where are you from?” “Why are you in Japan?”   They didn’t seem angry or annoyed we were there, just curious.  It was surprising because tourists in the U.S. are mostly ignored/ laughed at.   It was also really neat to be coming up with creative ways to communicate with the waiters, shop owners, and others.   My friend Ben and I had a hilarious conversation with a Japanese shop owner trying to figure out if the stamps he was selling us would get mail to the U.S. (hand gestures, pointing at the post cards, writing…crazy!).  (We also sang the song Down (by Jay Sean) to one of the bar owners trying to get him to play it.  The Japanese people inside probably thought we were nuts) The thing that surprised me the most was how helpful and willing to help the locals were.  Several people ran out of their restaurant/store and showed us exactly were we trying to go!  So different from the U.S. where people seem annoyed at lost tourists.  

Another thing I was surprised at was the prominence of English.   I don’t mean spoken English, but written.  Starbucks, for example, has everything in English on the menu above the counter and then Japanese writing on the menu on the counter.  Everywhere I went, I heard English music.  Starbucks were all playing Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Michael Buble, and the like, and most stores we entered were playing English music.   I just found it surprising because very few people could speak English fluently. 

I also now consider myself a pro navigating city transportation systems (I’ll be able to test this theory in 7 more countries).  Growing up in the suburbs and driving everywhere, the subway and bus seemed so confusing.  After navigating through Tokyo, Kyoto, and Kobe (we only took one Taxi and the driver didn’t speak English) it’s going to be a joke navigating Philadelphia subway/bus system.  I mean the whole map will be in English!  Like I said, I have a lot more chances to test this theory. 

I truly loved Japan.  It was an amazing country.  History, great food, friendly people- it has it all.  If I ever get the chance to come back, I still have plenty of it left to see! I now have two class days and then eight days of China! Still can’t believe this is really happening…I was just in effing JAPAN!!!   I also put more pictures up: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3514937&l=b65f8bc7a4&id=602112687  (you don’t need a Facebook to view)!