Family Reunion and the rest of Japan

I'm already back in Chicago for the moment as I write this post. I didn't really have any time to write in Japan - it seemed like there were better things to do than sitting down and typing. So this is what happened in the last 2 weeks of my Asia trip:

After spending a week with my parents in Osaka, I returned to my old form as a backpacker and ventured out to Kyoto, the cultural center of Japan. Staying at a hostel, I realized how expensive lodging in Japan is: while it cost $5 in SE Asia for a dorm bed, it cost at least $25 in Japan. Of course, the amenities and cleanliness were unmatched, and the staff made my stay very comfortable. Kyoto used to be the capital during two dynastic periods, and as the treasure chest of Japan, it is home to 17 World Cultural Heritage Sites, from the renowned Kinkaku-Ji to Kiyomizu Dera, there is more history here than anywhere else in the country.



Although the temples in Kyoto were in the running to become one of the 7 New Wonders of the World back in 2007, I was a bit disappointed because most of the buildings are reconstructions for a few centuries back. Coming from China, where everything is authentic, much of Japanese history seemed to be burned down to the ground. Nevertheless, being Japanese and having grown up with these images, it was great to actually see these famous sights in person.

After the temples and shrines of Kyoto, I headed to Takayama, a remote village in the middle of Japan. It's famous for retaining some Gassho-zukuri houses like these:



Gassho means praying hands, and this type of houses was named so from the resemblance of the roofs to praying hands. The town also had an old school charm to it, with wooden shops, sake breweries, and cobblestone streets. And as a day trip out of Takayama, I headed to Kanazawa with a French guy and a German girl, and we took a nice stroll through Kenroku-En Park, one of the 3 most beautiful parks in Japan. Patched with greenish-yellow moss and century-old Japanese pine trees, this park really made me appreciate the beauty of Japan, and I think I'll buy some Bonsai once I get my own place (although I would love to have some of these Japanese pine trees in my backyard).



My family had made a plan to have a family reunion in Tokyo over the weekend so I had to make sure that I got there on time. I met up with my parents in Ebisu, Tokyo to check into a very nice hotel, and we took the train to Ginza, where my sister, her husband, my brother, and his girlfriend were waiting for us at a fancy Japanese restaurant. My family hadn't had a real reunion like that for about 4 years, but it's the craziest thing about families - it was as if we had been living together. We didn't miss a step. This was also 2 days before my birthday so I was glad to have spent it with my family for what may be my last time.



The next day, my parents and I had a day to kill before we went our separate ways, so we went to Nikko for its famed Tosho-Gu, a famous Japanese temple and also the resting place of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of the most famous Shogun of Japan. Like the temples of Kyoto, Tosho-Gu was filled with familiar images from TV and movies - like the No Hear, No Speak, No See Monkeys and the Sleeping Cat - but as a historic site, it was a bit of a disappointment. Maybe it was hyped up a bit much.



Because my mom had bought a 1 week JR pass, she wanted to travel with me through Tohoku, the northeastern region of Japan, where neither of us had gone before. Obviously, I was more than delighted to travel with her. From Tokyo, we went up to, in order: Sendai, Matsushima, Hiraizumi, Tazawa-Ko Onsen, Kakunodate, Hachinohe, and Towada-Ko Onsen. Although the region does not boast much history or amazing sites, this trip was special because I got to spend time with my mom. I was able to relax for a long time at Onsen, or Japanese hot springs, where you where yukata and sleep on tatami mattresses like this:





We also went on a small hiking trip alongside a river to Towada-Ko Lake, and it was absolutely beautiful.



And also, one advantage of traveling with a parent is the fact that I could eat whatever I wanted without really worrying about money. So we definitely ate well, and it was great because this region has very unique cuisine.

Having said goodbye to my mom, I went up to Hokkaido, the northern most island of Japan. I first went to Hakodate, a port city with a charming western influence, evident from the churches that dot the city. This is where the last soldiers from the bakufu took a stand in the Goryokaku fort against the Bakumatsu (end of the Bakufu) army. Known for its seafood, I could not resist the urge to spend 20 dollars and get a decadent seafood donburi, with fresh sea urchin, shrimp, crab, salmon roe, scallops, and squid, all on a bed of warm white rice. The city is also well known for its skyline at night, as it was ranked the best in Japan.





My last destination in Japan was Sapporo, famous for its beer, ramen, and jingisu-kan, a lamb barbecue. It doesn't have very many historic sites, but it has a nightlife that I had absolutely loved. Although I took a day trip to Otaru - the Venice of Japan - and Poroto Kotan, an Ainu village, my main interest of the region was going out. For two nights, I went out with some of the people from the hostel, and I was finally able to party righteously in Japan for the first time. I don't think I got more than 3 hours of sleep each night.

I had to go back to Tokyo for the flight home, but since I had gotten there a few days earlier than expected, I slept over at my sister's place for 2 nights. We went to Kamakura, the capital of Japan 700 years ago, and the Ghibli museum. I guess this gigantic statue of Buddha is an appropriate ending to my Asia trip:



And now, I have a week in Chicago and Champaign, getting my Switzerland visa and catching up with friends. I'm also getting back into research shape by reading articles and such. As I bring the first chapter of my blog to an end, I am getting ready for my new adventure in Europe!

- Ryoji

My Home Country...

I had been anxiously counting down the days until I could fly to Japan and see my family. I wouldn't exactly say that I was homesick, but I was definitely ready for some comfort, some constant in my life, and of course, the free food and accommodation couldn't hurt.

I arrived in Osaka, one of the major cities in central Japan, where my parents had just permanently moved and owned a condo. I had met up with my mom who had come to the airport to greet me - my dad was away for business until the next day - and we went back to their condo, definitely the best place that I had stayed in the last couple of months. The one thing that I had realized, or was reminded of, was the fact that Japan has arguably the best food in the world; this I had taken notice after eating some leftovers from the day before. After some reorganizing, I knew that I only had 3 weeks in Japan so I started sightseeing right away. The great thing about traveling in Japan is this one particular transport: the bullet train. It's very very easy to take a day trip to cities that are 500 km away, and come back in time for dinner.



From Osaka, I first headed to the old capital town of Nara - one of the most important areas in terms of Japanese history. Nara was the capital of Japan during the Nara Period (710-794) when many of the famous Buddhist and Shinto Temples were built, under the guidance of such emperors as Shomu and Kanmu. Dating back 1200 years, the impressive Todai-ji, the largest wooden building in the world, houses the largest bronze statue of Buddha in the world. A bit off the town center of Nara is the Horyu-ji, one of the oldest wooden buildings in the world, built by Prince Shotoku, the author of the 17 articles of the constitution in the 8th century.







I definitely started off my trip with the largest bulk of historic sites - namely Kyoto and Nara - which may hinder my appreciation for the rest of Japan (it's like starting Egypt with the pyramids). The biggest disappointment with Japan so far is the fact that everything, and I mean every castle, temple, shrines, etc., is a reconstruction because most wars and battles leave towns and opposing castles in ash. One of the best preserved castles in Japan is that of Himeji, built in the 14th century. Of course, when I was there, the castle was being repaired... Nonetheless, there were many inside secrets that were on the castle grounds that were interesting.



On the way back home, I stopped by the southern part of Osaka, headed to a strip called Dotombori with its bright neon lights and famous scenery. Here are some of the stranger sights of Osaka:







As a last day trip out of Osaka, I took the bullet train to Hiroshima, the city that conjures up only one image in most minds - the atomic bomb and the 80,000 deaths that it had caused during the last few days of World War II. The famous monument at the peace memorial park is the dome that still stands today, but it is a stark reminder of the damages that the bomb had caused, as the skeleton of the building was one of the few buildings standing near the epicenter of the blast.



And at the peace memorial museum, here's one of the displays that really struck me. This is a small portion of the number of letters that the mayor of Hiroshima had sent to ambassadors and world leaders of countries that possess nuclear weapon every time a test bomb has been detonated. Unfortunately, the number of letters had reached an unforgiving amount...



The next few days, I will travel to Kyoto and actually stay at hostels. I hadn't spent a dime yet in Japan because of my parents, but it's a little bit scary to imagine how much I'll be spending compared to SE Asia or China. In 5 days, my whole family will reconvene in Tokyo, this time with my parents and my siblings. A little bit of family, a lot of familiarity.

- Ryoji

A Historical Trip through the Heart of China

Xian, historically known as Chang'An, was the capital of China during the Qin, Han, Sui, and Tang Dynasties, which span from around 200 BC to 900 AD. It has arguably more ancient history tourist spots than any other city in China, which is saying something. So in the four days that I was there, I was busy visiting the Drum and Bell Towers, the Muslim Quarter, Big Goose Pagoda from the Tang Dynasty, and of course, the Terracotta Warriors. Of all the sites, the warrior statues in the tomb of Emperor Qin were the highlight of my stay. Although 2 UK guys and I started the journey to the tomb with a rather dull headache (some might call it a hangover), by the end of the day, I was sincerely astonished, not because it was 2000 years old, not because there were over 6000 statues, but mostly because I could not fathom what was possibly going through the Emperor's head when he decided, "Ok, before I die, I'm going to make thousands of people build thousands of sculptures, so that I am ready for battle in the afterworld. Yes, that'd be a good idea." Of course, I guess I can say the same about every other tomb and pyramid in the world...





As for the nightlife in Xian, this is when I started realizing that the backpackers in China are of different breed compared to those in SE Asia. The people in SE Asia are mostly in their early 20's or they're on their gap year, and most of them come to Asia to party. In China, it seems like most of the travelers are Chinese, and the foreign backpackers are a little bit older, a little bit calmer, and more about culture and history. By the time I was in Xian, I had kind of accepted this fact, and there were many times when my group of friends was the only Westerners in the whole club. It's all about different experiences, I guess.

Before heading to Beijing, I decided to stop at an UNESCO World Heritage Site called Pingyao, which is the best preserved walled town in China. Many of the buildings show a great deal of age and character, a charming change from the restored historic sites of Xian. Although the town was touristy as hell, it was still nice to sit on a porch, drink some tea, and watch the world go by.



I also took a day trip to the Wang Family Palace from the Qing Dynasty, and I guess all of the Wang's that I know in the United States are descendants of this family?? Anyways, the more interesting part of the day trip was the castle that dates back from the 7th Century, and the underground tunnel built as an escape path for a possible invasion, although never used. The underground castle contained even stables, prisons, and intricate traps. Places like this really make you realize how old China's history is.



After Pingyao, I headed for my last stop in China, the massive capital that is Beijing, the municipality of which covers as much area as Belgium. Home to 3 World Heritage Sites among various other historic sites, the city required every minute of my 5 days, not to mention the 10 million inhabitants and many more summer holiday tourists. Although I was a bit disappointed with the Summer Palace and the Forbidden City, I would have to admit that the Great Wall is one of the greatest wonders of the world. It helped that I went to a rather remote area of the wall called Mutianyu, and the weather was absolutely wonderful. It was a 3 km stretch of ups and downs, but I was able to traverse the whole length twice in a matter of 3 hours, drenched in sweat, completely out of breath. But it was one of the most fulfilling days of the trip. These pictures really don't do justice:





In Beijing, I also enjoyed going to an acrobatic show, trying out strange food in the night market, and of course, engulfing a whole Peking Duck.





Unfortunately, I was so sick of the crowd by the last day that I couldn't wait to get out of the city, and the country all together. After all, it was my day of homecoming - home to Japan! I had a plane to catch at 9:30am, I left the hostel at 7:00am, but with the Beijing transportation system, I still managed to almost miss the flight. The only thing that missed the flight, though, was my bag, which I had to retrieve later. Frankly, I was so overjoyed that I was going to Japan that it really didn't matter. 3 weeks left, 1 more country, hoping for more adventures...

- Ryoji

The Most Beautiful Places on Earth

I had 5 days before my Vietnam visa ran out. I had to get out by Aug. 1st. So while in Hanoi, I had to decide if I should cut Vietnam short and give myself more time in China, or spend as much time as possible in Vietnam. I chose the latter, and it turned out to be a fantastic idea. By the time I got to Hanoi, I would bump into the same people over and over, familiar faces all over, and it felt like home sweet home. And it definitely helped that I stayed at a very social hostel called Hanoi Backpacker's Hostel (highly recommended if you're going to Hanoi) and made many friends in a span of five days.

I signed up for the all-famous (if you're in Vietnam) Ha Long Bay Tour, which takes you to a bay on the NE corner of Vietnam with limestone peaks and phosphofluorescent water. A little geography lesson: Ha Long Bay is home to around 2000 limestone karsts, many of which have taken over 500 million years to form. It is also one of the finalists for the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. It was a 2 day, 1 night trip on a sleeping cabin, but it turned out to be more like a booze cruise. During the day, the 36 of us from the hostel swam in the bay, kayaked through the limestone peaks, and explored a cave. After 2 months of traveling in SE Asia, I thought this was the most beautiful place that I had seen, and I think that's saying something. But by 9 o'clock, we hit up the boat bar and played a massive game of Ring of Fire, Vietnam style. By the next morning, most of us just wanted to get back to the hostel and pass out. Work hard, play hard, I guess.





The next few nights, I had met up with some of the guys I met in Cambodia, some of the girls I met in Ho Chi Minh City, and we all hit up the city, which tends to die out around 1 am, unfortunately. EXCEPT, this one shady place on the top of a hotel, which has successfully drawn the foreigner crowd by staying open until the wee hours in the morning. By August 1st, I was ready to move on to...CHINA!



I'm not gonna lie. I was petrified about going to China. Such a huge country. Nobody speaks English. Don't really know where I should go. So little time. With a backpack and Lonely Planet in hand, I got on the bus and headed to Nanning, the closest city in China from Vietnam. And WOW. I had imagined a small quaint town, but to my amazement, it turned out to be a metropolis of millions, with McDonalds and Walmart in the city square. I didn't stay there for a long time, but it was a nice introduction to China - maybe it wouldn't be too bad after all.

The first real stop in China was Yongshuo in the Guanxi Province. Although massively touristy, the bustling town had kept its rustic charm and the backdrop of the limestone karsts in the countryside was absolutely magnificent. My oh my. This place was like Ha Long Bay, only on land. I had never seen any scenery quite like this. I only stayed there for 3 days due to time constraints, but I managed to go on a solo biking tour through a 25 km stretch of the countryside, an absolutely wonderful experience. On top of it all, the town had a great nightlife, a strange juxtaposition of nightclubs and the countryside, but for a traveler, it's got it all.





Since the train to Xi'an was booked up for the next 8 days, I chose to go to a city that was in between the two cities - Chengdu in the Sichuan Province, known for pandas and spicy hotpots. Another bustling city like Nanning, with a population of 4 million, Chengdu has a reputation to be one of the livable cities in China although I disagree. On the first full day, I went to the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base, one of the few places in the world where you can see giant pandas and red pandas in "captivity." They say that it's for breeding purposes, but it seemed more like a zoo. But nonetheless, it was something I had to do in Chengdu.



Then, 2 Dutch guys from the hostel and I went out to eat at a Sichuan hotpot restaurant, which is like Shabu-Shabu, only the broth is boiling red with all kinds of spices and herbs. I'm not sure how the Dutch guys handled the spice, but I thought it was fantastic.



Tomorrow, I'm heading out to Xi'an on a 15 hour train ride, the only problem being the fact that I was only able to get a seating train, instead of a sleeper train. Cheap, at the cost of comfort. But these days, comfort is a luxury I can't really afford (or really care about). 10 more days until Japan!

- Ryoji

Good Ol' Vietnam

It's been 12 days since my last post. It's not that I haven't had the time, but most of the days in Vietnam were spent on the beaches. So the whole blog post would be..."slept on a beach, went out. Repeat." So I waited until I have enough material to make the post a little bit interesting.

Since Phu Quoc, my first destination was Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it used to be called, and this is the second largest city in the country. After much frustration with a local bus and incessantly naggy motorcycle drivers, I finally made it to the center of the backpacker's area, which was bustling with activity in the ever-so-bright neon lights.



An excursion out to the Cu Chi Tunnels was the main attraction of the city. These 250 km winding tunnels in the city next to Saigon was the last line of defense against the Americans during the Vietnam War (or American War as it is known here). Being American, it was hard to watch the propaganda video that repeated the phrase "Killing Americans" at least 10 times. Nonetheless, our tour group crawled through 60 meters of a tunnel, a dire claustrophobic experience to say the least. In addition to these tunnels were underground kitchens, hospitals, etc.





Throughout Vietnam, I've been traveling with a UK girl named Natasha that I had met back in Cambodia because it seems like everyone has the same tourist destinations as Vietnam is a narrow country. I had met up with her in Saigon, and we went to Mui Ne and Nha Trang, 2 beach towns, with the former being the calm serene beach town and the latter being the loud, party mecca of Vietnam. In Mui Ne, we pretty much did nothing but eat, go to the beach, sleep, and enjoy the sunlight. On the second day there, we went to the red sand dunes that it's famous for, and managed to do a little bit of sand sliding (which was actually PATHETIC).





In Nha Trang, I met a lot of good people through the hostel, bars, restaurants. It's supposed to be a big party town, but it doesn't compare to anything in Thailand or even Cambodia for that matter. The good thing about going out in Vietnam is that it seems like everybody goes to the same bar and moves in a pack to the next bar and has an after-party at the same place. I also went scuba diving in Nha Trang as I'm diving at least once in every country. The dives in Nha Trang were a bit disappointing as the current was so strong and the fish hid away in various crevices. The corals were still beautiful, and the visibility was great.



And then there was Hoi An. By far my favourite town in Vietnam. Unlike the other places, this town has a very charming, old town feel to it, and it is home to 400 tailor shops! Girls go to Hoi An to get 6 tailored dresses, 3 tailored boots, while guys get 2 tailored suits and 4 tailored shirts. This is probably average. I bought 1 tailored cashmere suit, and 4 tailored shirts for 125 dollars. It's amazing how fast they work too - they can take your measurements in the morning, finish the trousers and shirts by the afternoon, get them fitted, and finish the jacket by night. Other than that, the town had the best nightlife in Vietnam so far, and there's a very nice beach nearby, easily accessible by bike.





I'm in Hanoi, the capital, right now, but I'm a little sick. I caught a cold (hopefully it's a cold) on the 20 hour bus ride from Hoi An to Hanoi on an overpacked sitting bus. That's another thing about Vietnam: traveling takes A LONG time. Here's another thing about Vietnam: The food has been the best here compared to other countries. There's not much special about the food here, but I have absolutely loved the rice stalls and the french bread sandwich stalls here.

In a few days, I'm off to China! A little bit of fear, a little bit of excitement. We'll see how that ends up...

- Ryoji

Phnom Penh, Beaches, Beaches, Beaches!

I was supposed to leave Siem Reap everyday, but I stayed for another night every time. I kept on telling my friends, "I'm leaving tomorrow," only to find myself in the same town, same hostel, same bed. That's how comfortable Siem Reap was. I finished the tourism stuff in the first 2 days. But I stayed there for 6 days. Why? Not exactly sure. Except that, unforeseen circumstances came up everyday. So I ended up staying there taking pottery classes, going to the night market, watching traditional Aspara dancing shows, getting a fish massage, eating crickets, etc etc.







When I finally got up and left the town, I said goodbye to a bunch of the people that I've met there, only to find myself in a cramped bus to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I had started reading a book called First They Killed My Father, a story about a family that was torn apart by the Pol Pot Regime. I had bought this book from one of the numerous boys and girls wandering the streets of Cambodia selling postcards and books. Here's what Pol Pot and the Red Shirts had done in the 1970's: This government decided that it would be a great idea to kill all doctors, businessmen, teachers, nurses, and anybody else that had any type of education. They put everybody in farm villages to become a self-sustaining country, free from Western influence. As I was reading the book on the bus, I found myself crying a little bit, a sight that had to be hidden away by my book from the strange faces on the bus.

In Phnom Penh, I met these 2 Chinese girls from Toronto at the hostel that I was staying. We decided to go out to eat at a traditional Khmer restaurant, and we ended up bumping into some of their friends from Vietnam. With an army of about 15 foreigners, we stormed into a bar, asked for a discount, sat down, and had a merry ol' time (although a group of 3 guys ended up spending about 30 dollars on beer, which was 75 cents each). As we were walking back to our hostel, it was kind of early still, and I distinctly heard hip-hop music being played. I looked around. I saw a lounge. I went in. I danced. And then, something interesting happened, which I'll keep to myself.

The next day, the Toronto girls and I went to the S21 prison, a converted high school that Pol Pot used as a torture prison, the Independence Monument, National Museum housing Angkor statues, the Royal Palace, and the Wat Phnom. The reason I wanted to come to Phnom Penh was for the S21 prison, so here are some pictures:





And a picture of a boy coming to pick up some schoolkids. A pretty normal sight in Southeast Asia, but still amusing:



After 3 days in Phnom Penh, I headed for the beaches of Sihanoukville, the closest thing to a beach resort in Cambodia. Unfortunately, the beach was a bit ugly, touristy as hell, and you could not read a page before some little girl comes up to you and asks if you want a bracelet (NO!). Fortunately, the nightlife was pretty good, and I met some interesting people, one in particular. I also spent a day going on fun dives, which was surprising good with nice visibility considering it was storming on the surface. On the trip, I met a wonderfully amusing and talkative Dutch family, who at the end of the day, invited me to have dinner with them. They took me out to a fantastic restaurant on the other side of town, and the sunset was just picturesque.



After a week and a half in Cambodia, I headed to Vietnam, to an island called Phu Quoc. I only have until August 1st in Vietnam, so I kind of need to hurry up (I'm not used to schedules and deadlines anymore). Phu Quoc was a beautiful place, with great beaches, and I practically did nothing but sleep, sunbathe, swim, and listen to music. I didn't talk to anybody. I made no friends. And that was quite alright with me because I needed this time alone. After all the bustle and socializing in the last 2 months, it was good to reflect and look back.



Next up, Ho Chi Minh City. I don't think I'll have much self-reflection time there!

- Ryoji