Japan

Japan is the first developed country we have been to since South Africa and the 2nd richest in the world so it offered an experience more like being in America then most of our previous destinations, but it still had many unique characteristics that kept it interesting. Grant, Andy, John and I kept our travel schedule totally flexible and went wherever our hearts desired. Surprisingly the language barrier in Japan was most frustrating.

All four of us got the Japanese rail pass before arriving in Kobe (it can only be purchased from outside of the country) which gave us unlimited JR access and we sure got our monies worth. The bullet trains were awesome. They brought me back to the excitement I had when I took the bullet train from London to Paris about 10 years ago. This was our improv itinerary; (arrive) Kobe -> Osaka -> Kobe (1st night) -> Hiroshima -> Osaka (2nd night) -> Kyoto -> Tokyo (3rd and 4th night) ->Yokohama (depart). With the rail pass we were able to just go to the bullet train station and hop in the unreserved seat cars (first 3 cars) of any train, which usually departed at least every 15minutes from about 5am to midnight. They were very comfortable and travelled at 190mph. Once in a city, each had its own extensive subway/rail system that would take us anywhere we needed to go. It’s an extremely efficient and fun system which beats the heck out of flying. JR also operates many busses and ferries across the country which we were also able to use for free.

In Hiroshima we obviously saw the Atomic bomb site and park which didn’t really put us in the best mood. The Japanese are definitely more generous about our war atrocities then Vietnam was. They basically use the whole site as a symbol for global nuclear disarmament rather than anti-American propaganda. Kyoto came highly recommended by my Dad (now you can’t say that I’ve never taken your advice). It was the capital of Japan until the late 19th century so we saw a couple cool temples including the Golden Pavilion and this huge Zen temple complex with zen gardens. We sat for a while in front of this famous zen rock garden and I could actually feel the relaxing effects of my zen surrounding as surreal as that may sound.

Since I first got accepted into the Semester at Sea program my mouth has been watering for Japanese Sushi and it did not disappoint. I’d say that 85% of the money I spent in Japan went into Sushi and Sakai at various restaurants around Japan. My favorite was in Kyoto where John and I went to this restaurant where we sat down next to a conveyer belt that had an endless supply of various sushi and other dishes. If we wanted something in particular we would just pick its picture on a touch screen monitor and the dish would promptly just show up on the conveyor belt. Also at the table was this slot where we put our empty places and they were electronically counted so at the end we just paid by the number of plates. Of course I had about 20 plates of sushi and was felt awesome about it.

In Tokyo we had a ridiculous time at Disney Sea, part of the Tokyo Disney land. We could not have been more immature as we ran around with Mickey ear hats on and went on all the rides. My stomach hurt the next day because we were laughing so much. Another highlight of Tokyo was stumbling across a Japanese electronics superstore. For those of you who know me well will know the kind of emotions this place evoked. It had tons of electronics and gadgets that I didn’t even know existed and I spent about an hour walking around and drooling.

One disappointment from Japan was the karaoke bars. I expected wild bar scenes with drunk Asians singing backstreet boys. While I’m sure all that goes on it only happens in private rooms which groups of people and their friends rent out for the night and sing Karaoke, no public embarrassment/entertainment like we are used to back in the US. We made the most out of the room we rented once we figured out how to use the damn machine but it still wasnt the same.

We are now back on the good ol Explorer heading for our one day in Hawaii. Honestly it will be nice to be at sea for a while. Having only 2 or 3 days between ports has me drained. This whole Pacific crossing will be very stressful academically but I’ll be able to get back into a swing of things and get my work done…hopefully.