Kinochiwa from Japan!

After flying into Narita, I validated my fancy Japan Rail pass, and boarded the Narita express to Sinjuku Station. I was to meet my friend at the Starbucks next to the Shensei Bank. He sent me detailed instructions using the Airport Limousine bus, but I figured out that the Narita express was included in my pass. Sinjuku is a huge station, and I arrived in a different place than the bus would take me. It was pouring rain outside, and I was carrying my 80kgs of luggage. For the first few moments, I was wondering why everyone was walking the other way and I was always going upstream. I rapidly figured out that in orderly Japan, you always walk on the left side of the sidewalk.

After buying a much-needed umbrella, I started asking around where I could find the Shensei Bank, but very few people have basic English skills in Japan, even right downtown Tokyo. I finally find a French guy who sends me in completely the wrong direction. I managed to find a Starbucks, and had a caramel frapuccino, since I had over an hour to kill before the meeting time. The rain did not stop, and my bags were getting wetter and wetter. I finally found what I was looking for, and downed a second frapuccino while reading. My friend finally picked me up, and we headed for his apartment. He had an hour-long conference call scheduled, so we simply ordered Domino`s. He had several suggestions for my trip, as he lived in Kyoto for a couple of years.

After a short night of sleep, I went back to Shinjuku and purchased a Shinkansen (rapid train) ticket to Kyoto. I had an hour to kill, so I walked around and found a Citibank with an ATM that accepts foreign card, a rarity in Japan. With about 15 minutes to go, I walked back to the station and couldn’t figure out which track my train would leave from. I then jumped when I realized that the train left from Tokyo station. I rushed to Tokyo station and made it to the train as the whistle was being blown. As soon as I got off the train in Kyoto, I was approached by a policeman who asked to see my passport. He wrote down every detail, smiled, and gave it back. A friend from INSEAD had suggested the idea of renting a bike to visit Kyoto, so I found the nearest bike shop and rented a Louis Garneau 24-speed mountain bike. It was great! It was getting late in the afternoon, so I decided to eat in the next restaurant I would find. I walked into a family-run place, where they served spectacular flaming soups! (see pictures) The cook had a set of about 10 rules before flaming, such as keep your hands away from the table, don’t touch the bowl etc.

After lunch, I visited three major temples, including the Golden Temple. I saw beautiful Zen rock gardens, tatami rooms and other interesting historical stuff. I then biked to check into a nice hostel. They had the most high-tech toilet I had ever seen, with a built-in sound system, bidet, perfume, heating seat etc. After making my own bed, I went out downtown and had a nice sushi meal in a tiny sushi shop. Then, I went out to a huge arcade to play a half-hour of a special Counter-Strike version with other players who were on-site. After, I headed to “the mother of all public baths”, as per the Lonely Planet. It was on a “must-do while in Japan list”. It was pretty strange, but it was quite an experience. There was an electric bath, which delivers electric shocks the moment you dip your toe in. There was also a herbal bath, a cold one, a hot one and a scalding one. After about an hour of soaking and drinking Kirin, I headed to the hostel for a good night’s sleep.

On my second day in Kyoto, I slept quite late and found an internet café (hard to find in Kyoto, somehow) and booked a flight from JFK to FLL and PHL. Then, I went to a sushi place with the plates going around on a conveyor belt. It was good and about a quarter of the price I paid for similar stuff the night before. Then, I biked over to three different shrines, including two that are listed as a World Heritage site. There was a bit of hail during the afternoon, but it melted as soon as it hit the ground. After a day of sightseeing, I returned the bike and went up Kyoto tower, which offered a beautiful view of the entire region. I then returned to the hotel and met up with three Australians and a German, and decided to go out for dinner all together. After looking for a restaurant called Izakaya for half-an-hour, we figured out that Izakaya was in fact a type of restaurant, not a specific restaurant. Feeling a bit dumb, we walked into a nice little Izakaya and ordered tons of different dishes. The waiter showed up with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, which was ordered by the two Australian guys to celebrate the birthday of the German girl. The meal was truly delicious. After, we went to the “Pig and Whistle”, an Irish pub, for a few drinks. We then went to an underground club called "Metro". We finally returned to the hostel.

The next morning, I headed for Nara, the old Japanese capital, and visited several interesting sights, including the largest wooden building in the world. It housed a huge Buddha. There are hundreds of deers running around the entire city, with dozens of workers following them around to pick up their droppings. After a half-day in Nara, I took the local train to Osaka for a fun night on the town. After checking into a pretty cool guesthouse, a French guy, an American and a Malay flight attendant and I went out for dinner to an all-you-can-drink restaurant. We had quite a few Suntory Malts with a seafood hotpot, sushi and tempura. Afterwards, the American guy and I went out looking for what is qualified as Japan’s second best nightlife, after Tokyo. After walking around for a while without finding anything interesting, we hoped into a cab and were driven to a secret nightclub on the 11th floor of an unmarked building. It was very trendy, and we had a very good night. The next morning, I took a train to Hiroshima and visited the A-Bomb museum. It was an extremely depressing visit, and I had tears in my eyes for most of the museum. They show extremely graphic pictures and mock-ups of people with skin melting off their bones, melted objects of all kinds etc.

After this tragic visit, I went to “the mecca of Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki”. Okonomiyaki is a strange concoction of seafood in the form of a pancake/omelette. It is served on a tappan table so it stays warm. They make them right in front of you. Mine contained shrimp, squid, an egg, noodles, brown sauce, various spices and other mystery ingredients. It was spectacular and delicious. After the meal, I headed back to the station for the 5-hour long train ride back to Tokyo. I went to bed almost as soon as I returned to my friend’s flat. The next morning, I went to the Tokyo government building’s belvedere on the 70th floor for a stunning view of the urban area of 35 million inhabitants! The largest urban area in the world! I then visited Halc’s 6 floors of electronics, and tried hard to find a reason to buy a new laptop of iPod video. I also played the new Xbox 360 for the first time, and I found the graphics absolutely stunning. After walking around for a bit, I had a sushi lunch at Takashimaya, with a nice miso soup. I then met up with a Japanese friend from INSEAD who was interviewing with several Private Equity firms in Tokyo. He took me to a nice temple. We then took a quick boat ride on the river, and headed for a cool re-enactment of what Japan was like 500 years ago. It was all indoors, and included a restaurant area and a public bath. As you walk in, you choose a kimono (yakutsa?) and change into it. We then visited the bath and relaxed for a while, before drinking a couple of Sapporos and grabbing a bite. After the bath, we went to a Japanese restaurant called Ninja. Ninjas do all the service and make magic tricks. We had some truly delicious food and a bottle of sochu. (Japanese vodka)

The next morning, I got up around 7:30 to catch my noon flight to New York City. I reached Sinjuku station 1 minute after the Narita Express. I therefore had to wait another hour for the next one, which would take me to Narita at 11:00am, very tight for the flight. I asked the information desk whether there was a way to get to Narita faster, but she told me that there wasn’t. I decided to go to Tokyo main station, where I hoped to find more options. Indeed, I found a non-express train to Narita, which took me there by 10:45, 15 minutes which made all the difference. After a quick search of my large suitcase, I checked in, only to be told that my large suitcase was 3kgs too heavy. I shuffled things around between the two suitcases, and managed to get away without a penalty. My 80kgs got on board without problems, once more. I even managed to secure a whole row of three seats on the 747’s upper-deck, so I could lie down and sleep during the flight.

I purchased Grisham’s “The King of Tort”, a litre bottle of Evian, and boarded the 12-hour flight to JFK. I couldn’t sleep much, but managed to finish the whole novel. After arriving in JFK, I waited almost an hour at immigration, because a Korean Air landed right before us, and an Air France flight right after us. I checked-in for the Song flight to Fort Lauderdale, and had a couple of Sam Adams and chips and salsa at Chili’s.

I was pretty disappointed with the service. Firstly, they made me pay $25 for the extra weight, down from the original $100 they had asked. Then, their aircraft was at least 15-20 years old and falling apart. The onboard staff was rude and unhelpful. I was sitting in 1A, and could hear them complain the whole flight about their lousy pay and bad employment conditions. Finally, I was welcomed by my mom at FLL, and am now relaxing in Florida. Details to come soon! Enjoy the pictures!