Golden week in tokyo and osaka
As an epigraph: The most interesting thing about traveling is people
And so my trip to Japan:
The first thing that caught my eye was the modesty of the airport in Narito near Tokyo, even came across a broken watch. Further, the first collision with the local attitude to work is the exchange of currencies. In order to exchange currency, you will need to fill out a receipt in which you indicate which banknotes, which currency and what you are going to exchange, two employees participate in the exchange process, first the first one will count and check your money with a receipt, then transfer it to another, he counts and gives the local currency, again the first one will count three times and give it to you. The procedure may take more than 5 minutes. For so long I have not seen the exchanger work.
Well, we got to Tokyo, they put us in the Daiwe RoyNet Hotel 3 *. The most positive impression about the hotel is delicious cuisine. There is also local Japanese cuisine and European. There I tried the most delicious steak in my life. It cost $20, but it was 100% worth it. Everything in the hotel is clean and comfortable. We were hit by a 6 magnitude earthquake. Nothing broke, didn’t fall, although it trembled seriously. The reaction of the locals in the morning at breakfast is simply zero, well, I don’t know how snow passed for a Muscovite in winter.
On the first day, they drove around the city a little, showed the Statue of Liberty against the backdrop of a suspension bridge, almost like America . We got a little introduction to how to get around Tokyo. Everyone tried to make it as comfortable as possible, but still it’s not immediately clear, since the locals are always responsive and prompt. The evening ended in a very surprising place. This is a large indoor space that recreates Japan in the 17th century. Everyone wears a kimono (we are also very comfortable), you can eat local cuisine, watch a theater, play games, visit swimming pools, there are even fish that pinch your skin. We ordered a complex dinner there, everything was very much and I didn’t like almost anything, I ate only a soup similar to lagman. Others were more fortunate, their options were more edible.
Day two - a detailed acquaintance with Tokyo. Temple Complex where Shinto and Buddhist temples are inseparable from each other. All interestingly told showed. Next is a shopping street, the first souvenir is a traditional Japanese doll, wonderfully nodding its head (it turned out to be made in Chine ). Next is the emperor's palace, or rather a small park area in the palace. Here I was surprised that the park is not very well-groomed as by the standards of a European (very modest, the water is swampy), in any case, I like parks in Vienna or even in Kyiv or Crimea more. We visited several districts, for example Akihabara, a funny district was remembered for the fact that people dressed in cartoons come across. There is such a doll for herself and smiles, waves her hand. Such a cute miracle almost persuaded me to buy a photo of Fujiyama (A4 size photo cost $100). In the evening we went to look for the kabuki cho area. We got lost, went to the first restaurant that came across, each ordered his own. From the funny thing, they bring us a dish just a whole basin of something (we don’t see it). And 3 out of 7 people ordered this dish. Everyone is shocked: “well, you can’t eat everything, ” but it turned out that it was a basin with ice and there was a piece of fish, a piece of squid, a couple of types of shellfish - they laughed. Finally got acquainted with the whole group, found out who was from where, discussed Ukraine.
Day three - Trip to Fujiyama. Cool story of the mountain itself, the origin of its name. We looked at the museum of stones, had lunch near the lake at the foot of the mountain, bought souvenirs. They took us to taste the local wine. Well, it was surprising for me, a Crimean, to try the nutmeg of the red stone of the Japanese spill (subjectively, Crimean wines are better). The locals do business, among other things, on a funny wine opener that allows you to put the cork back into the bottle (so-so achievement - not a Japanese invention). Further into the cave which served as a refrigerator. I don’t know what people admire there, for me it’s a rat hole. Again, in the Crimea, the marble cave is much more beautiful. The highlight of the day is the recreated 17th century village. Participated in the preparation of mochi (such a sweetness), or anything that tastes so good. It was possible to change into a samurai, but there was a queue and it was raining, which created a dull mood. Returning to Tokyo, we entered the traffic jam at 18:00 and reached the hotel at 23:30.
Day four - a trip to Nika. I got a very good guide who talked about the Japanese, about their mentality, values, how they change with the new generation, and much more. The Morozov confectionery factory brought us to the company shop, the pride of every Japanese. We bought chocolate there. And so is Nick. This temple complex is very beautiful by the standards of Japan. The main temple was dismantled, it will be restored, in my opinion, 20 years (they also did not start yesterday, but it will still be dismantled for 10 years). Everything is very photogenic, just take a picture and be surprised. But upon closer examination, everything is not so neatly done: sometimes you can see paint streaks, sometimes some kind of board is openly screwed with a self-tapping screw. In general, the Japanese are armed with two concepts of beauty, the first is the beauty in naivety “everything should be nice”, and the beauty of the moment. From that, apparently, they are not so worn with their monuments, and most likely, the wave of restorations is already the influence of Western culture. Bottom line, according to Nika, the story of everything that is there is much more beautiful and interesting than what is there, so if it’s already there, it’s not self-propelled (this is what part of our group did to save money), but always with a competent guide who will tell you about this place.
Day five - the day of moving to Osaka. But moving in the evenings, and in the morning they were taken to the city of Kamakura. Yes, this is the place to visit. There is something like that there. All the beauty of Japan that I wanted to see, I saw here. That's the love for the little things. Each bush is in its place. Buddha statue with a 3-storey house. Temple complex in which something is felt. Then a skyscraper from which you can see the city is also beautiful, then a boat trip. Probably for those who don’t see the sea so often, it was interesting, but since I’m a Crimean, you won’t surprise me with a boat. An interesting port itself made in the form of a huge deck of a ship. And a photo of the sunset, sinking into the midst of skyscrapers. The day ended with a transfer to Osaka by high-speed train. About 600 km in 2 and a half hours, well, there is no doubt respect for the Japs.
Osaka began with hysterical laughter . Imagine a room 2m by 3m, in which there is a bed (170 cm long, I slept diagonally), a table, and plumbing fixtures (made in the form of a cast acrylic box, where the toilet smoothly flows into the washbasin, which smoothly flows into a parody to the bathroom). In general, the number - I feel like an astronaut. Women with wide karmas in the morning "To sit on the toilet, you have to go out into the corridor, take off your underpants and only then go into the room. "
Day six Nara city and Osaka. We go to Nara first in the park next to the temple, where a lot of deer walk and ask for special cookies. Well, in the park in Yalta, you can contact not just one species of animals, but dozens, but there are only impudent deer. Most of all, I enjoyed interacting with children. This is their first day of school after the golden week (a series of holidays) and they all walked here in the park and shouted hello to foreigners. Older children came up with questionnaires and asked, “Is this du yu cam from? ”. As a side note: the Japanese do not pronounce the sound L and cannot pronounce two consonants together. For example, my name Slava sounds like Sarava and they point blank do not want to hear (or cannot repeat) in a different way. When I said “Ai kam from Simferopol”, this killed the poor child, it was reflected on my forehead: “why did I approach this uncle”, I took pity and said “Yu can right Russia”. Next is an interesting large temple complex. What is also in it is sort of like Kamakura, but if I was already fed up with roofing felts in kamakura, it was actually more fun.
Then we were taken to a shop where you can buy a Japanese kitchen knife. Some only for the sake of such a knife and rode. As a result, we bought everything, we had our names knocked out on a knife (the knife is really super). I really didn’t want them to knock out the word SARAWA sounds like a curse and I asked to knock out the character of my last name as it would look in Japanese. Further, the castle in Osaka. Again, I was not pleased with the frankly rushing, undisguised influence of modernity on the restoration. Guide: “Now I’ll take you to one wonderful place where the castle is reflected in the purest water and you can take cool pictures” failed, bam, and there is no silt and any bottom debris in the lake of water. Guide: "Okay, let's move on . " Evening walk around Osaka at night.
Day 7 - Golden Pavilion, Kyoto. Late for the fashion show, rearranged the fashion show for the evening. We immediately go to the "golden pavilion". A very photogenic hut. But, unfortunately, the real one burned down in the 60s, set on fire by a mad monk. An interesting place is a castle with whistling floors, a rock garden (its own philosophy, but, again, it is very photogenic, not so cool with its own eyes). Fashion show. It is very interesting to look at women demonstrating kimonos. And it is interesting precisely the manner of movement of fashion models. So she took a step and seemed to be falling and involuntarily stretching out her arms to pick her up, but no, the wind does not visibly pick her up before you and puts her in her arms, she innocently, as if apologizing, smiles at you or at the invisible wind and walks further that they will sway in a new place. In general, a real theater, after which you understand how a Japanese girl can attract attention with one gesture with one look. Many bought a kimono for themselves later, the price is $20-50. Next, the temple complex in Kyoto is already a feeling of farewell to Japan. Transfer to Tokyo and the next day the plane back.
I will finish with what I started the main thing on the trip people. I also liked the company with which I traveled and meeting the Japanese, who, it must be said, still live in an absolutely patriarchal society where a woman occupies a completely insignificant role. This is new to me and was interesting. I was also surprised by their attitude towards the family. I won't say that I was pleased, but I was surprised. I didn’t think that it was possible to be so unfamiliar on a national scale (often the Japanese do not know the mobile numbers of their relatives, grandmothers communicate with their grandchildren 2 times a year and with adult children 3 times... ). They all sit in bars until late, absolutely all the bars there are a lot. They eat a lot for breakfast, and only drink for dinner, which makes them drunk quickly and laugh unnaturally loudly. Old people, deprived of the attention of their children, often work as volunteers and simply blossom when they see foreigners, which gives the impression of fawning, although this is not so.
We went about the company in a very troubled time to Japan, troubled for Ukraine and no less for Russia (May 2.2014 - May 8.2014), because of which, in the intervals between the stories of the guides, it was only about politics. And it turned out to be funny people 6th from the USA (kolfornia) 2 from Odessa, 1 from Cherkasy, 1 from Kyiv, 2 Kharkov, I am from the Crimea (I was also interesting even to foreigners in connection with the transfer of Crimea to Russia and how it was). In general, how many people have so many opinions.
