Kyoto

KYOTO. The cultural capital of JPN. I think I'm falling, hard.

(Sorry this entry is so late. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry.)

We came on Tuesday. (It seems we can only make one entry per week on average which actually includes what we have done. Coughtheentriesbelowcough. Oh, nothing.

So. Tuesday. Was a shit day all included. We woke up early, showered, gathered our stuff, had nothing to eat, went to the train station (I hate my suitcase.), bought very expensive onigiris', catched the train, stood on our luggage for an hour, scrambled out (I hate my suitcase.), realized it was even hotter in Kyoto than it had been in Osaka (about 35 degrees celcius in the shade), realized we would have to walk in that weather for a few kilometres to our hostel. Did I mention I hate my suitcase? It broke up on me. The wheels didn't move anymore and the handle was... Well let's say it wasn't working. We got to the hostel, sweaty and pissed, luckily didn't have to wait the two hours until the reception opened as we initially thought we'd have to, and flung out our computers.

And found out we didn't get in where we applied to in Helsinki University.

(See entry below.)

Maybe that's enough about Tuesday.

Wednesday we went to a local shrine which a a flee market going on. Also hanged out in Kyoto station, which is EFFING HUGE. It's like the same size as Helsinki-Vantaa airport? Architecturally similiar, too. Lol.

I bought a NEW SUITCASE, which is my new lover and which I would marry if it were legally possible. Fortunately for all of you potential bridesmades for that it isn't, so moving on. We bough a bagful of donuts, just for the hell of it, and decided we understand what it is with the Japanese and donuts. The were actually good, not that fat-dripping crap for obese kids we are used to. I also got my daily proportion of manga by buying a few volumes of Air Gear, while Mia bought a magazine or two.


Thursday we went to Kinkaku-ji and Rokuon-ji, the former of which if you haven't heard of, SHAME ON YOU. It's the Golden Pavilion, and it was very beautiful, calming. Though it was a bitch to get a decent picture of, as there were quite the number of tourists mulling around at all times.

+Rokuon-ji (rock garden). It wasn't large either in any mean of measurement, but the surroundings were beautiful.

 

We had a one-day pass for the busses so we took a bus to Gion, a traditional part of Kyoto in the central of the city. We hanged around for an hour or two, walkings past a hundred tea shops (which were all very expensive so we didn't get to try them). Apart from said tea shops the area is known for its Geisha/Geiko, which we saw (another day) but had bo chance of photographing.

On Friday we visited Fushimi Inari Shrine, which is known for it's path of torii gates, red offerings by worshippers. We were supposed to be there for about an hour or so, so of course we ended up walking four hours around it, mostly uphill.

After Fushimi Inari Shrine we took a train to Arashiyama to see the beautiful surroundings there, but unfortunately we were pretty knackered and didn't end up staying long, only doing a quick look-over.

Saturday we woke up early and me our new acquintances Fiona (from New Zealand) and Ai (from Tokyo) in the lobby, to go see the Gion Festival! The festival mainly included a long parade with traditional instruments and cloating. The best part were the lions in the festival: they walked around as if waiting to find pray, and randomly bit people in the head (which brings good luck by the way)!

The quality of the following video isn't very good (I drop the camera at one point, I'm ashamed of myself) it still tells more than a mile or ten of my words.

One of the highlights of the day was the restaurant Ai took us to, where the options covered mainly rice (with several meat possibilities) on top of which you poured green tea. It sounds suspicious, I know, and it was surprisingly delicious! After eating (and re-watching the parade from the windows of the restaurant which opened to a shopping street) we walked about the shopping district and tasted random weird things, DEEP-FRIED CHOCOLATE amongst other things. Yeah. It was good though!

Also, I'll spam you with a picture from the shopping area:

MODELS OF ICE CREAM.

I want to bring these things home with me.

While going around we saw a postcard of Sanjusangendo, and decided to go there as it was quite close by. See the link to get more info of the Temple, I'm feeling lazy and photographs were prohibited inside the temple.

On Sunday we rented two bikes and pretty much went around in circles in the central area of Kyoto. We cycled to the Imperial Palace Park (kvg) and again to Gyon (to get me Dango, those things are addictive I tell you).

Monday, our last day in Kyoto, we used to go to Kyomizudera, which was an unvelievably beautiful experience *---*

Check the link for photos or Google it, and still you won't even understand how wonderful the place was.

I'd want to add pictures but they're in Mia's camera so I won't. Sorry. I'll edit them here later so come check this entry again in a week or so.

fuckshithellassfuck.

Sorry. Just found out yesterday that I didn’t get in any of the university options I applied to.

FINNISH SCHOOL SYSTEM I LOVE YOU TOO<3

So. Now my options are quite tied, it’s either getting a job or getting a job.

Well, I’m rather developing a plan of wedding a wealthy local, thus gaining a visa, thus being able to stay h e r e.

This is how my plan is worked out:

1)      Find an upper-class heir

2)      Converse to find out marital status

3)      Pop the question

4)      Wait for the wedding

Sounds good, no?

Meet Me Halfway

We realized our Ultimate Expedition of Destiny has reached it's halfway point! It's kind of sad but the rest of the journey has the best parts including Kyoto, where we're leaving tomorrow, Nagoya, with the cosplay world vup or something like it there during our stay, and T O K Y O. Need I say more?

But well, I just decided to have a few laughs on the photos we've taken so far and... found myself wanting to add them here also, so here you go: ENJOY.

Btw, those who're here for SRZ BZNZ; be gone. You should know by now just not to read my shit.


The photo breaking the eyes is A CAT. I was looking over my shoulder and suddenly it popped up from out of nowhere. So I always laugh so hard when I see this pic.

It's and ESCALATOR. In a PARK. Only in Japan.

This was my... temporary system when I had slight problems with my adapter.

We found a RUISLEIPÄ-package somewhere IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE -we were literally halfway up a mountain, some 15 kilometres away from Beppu. So it of course merited a photo.

We boiled eggs there. On a mountain. In steam, coming from a hot spring.

Moomin Cafe! Everything was so cute there but expensive so we only ate something small (=the head of Moomintroll with ice cream :D)

We answered some elementary kids' questions in the Peace Park of Hiroshima and got these as payment n__n (count them and you can see how many groups came to us asking those questions..... It took a while).

J-Hoppers Hiroshima; "I am beer machine. And you?" made us laugh so hard. Also the smaller comments like "I am beer", "almost beer" and "not beer" were enjoyable... 

 

The ugliest fish in the history of ugly fish. LIKE WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?

 

OUR PILLOWS in Osaka. Lol Im just cracking up with these pictures  myself XD

 

This one was cute, on the roof of Osaka Floating Garden were locks with the names of married couples~

 

Osaka Castle. I was prompted by Mia. Solution:

 

This sign made me laugh in Nara -do you need to be warned that a wild animal might eat your thinks if you give them to it? Obviously, in Japan, you do.

 

Osaka Castle (or rather the park surrounding it) and a HUGE-ASS cicada. It was like the size of my thumb. But fatter.

 This better keep you entertained for a while so you're welcome. I had a laugh so yeah all is fine.

Spa World

Yesterday we went shopping to Dotonbori, and bought SHOES. Okay I bought only one pair but I love them to bits! Mine are the ones on the right, Mia bought two pairs and a handbag WHICH IS PINK inside!

Then, well, we came back to our hotel and ate takoyaki (...again) and started for SPA WORLD! It was made of awesome, just like we had predicted. Omg. I was speechless when entering the spa-area. GO CHECK THE PICTURES ON THE WEBSITE and fall in love and come to Osaka. (We were on the Europe side as it's for women on odd months, for men on even ones and vice versa on the Asian side.)

AND.

On the European side.

.
.
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THERE WAS AN AREA TITLED "FINLAND" WITH SAUNA AND "LAKE WATER" XDDD

Like, if that's not MADE OF WIN I don't know what is! We were running between the lake and sauna and laughing at directing the distraught locals who went for the low-temperature sauna (probably not even a real one -I think it has to be over 70 degrees to actually be a sauna?) and then were shocked as the water was cold, not that wonderful temperature of 40 degrees celcius.

AND. I have to say this.

It was only 1000yen, which means UNDER 10 EUROS. IN TOTAL.

We're going again tomorrow. End of conversation.

But moving on to today (unless you wish to hear a tribute to Spa World). We went to the park near Osaka Castle and actually hanged out! We were just sitting there with our high-brow AMPM konbini onigiris' and reading manga or whatever. So wonderful *---* It was warm but not too hot and oh yes we so need to do this more.

Today we're still going out to eat somewhere (preferably soon, as I am hungry kthxbye) but we've yet to decide where~

But tomorrow it's day in Spa World and evening in Dotonbori, probably.

Lazy Osaka

Some may have noticed the lack of entries during the last week or so. We arrived to Osaka on Tuesday and I have a trump card of THE INTERNET WASN'T WORKING. Well, maybe it was working and we were just  a bit lazy. I won't concede to anything because we had a REASON.

Well, nothing of especial interest happened during the first days here, just you know, hanging around IN OSAKA and in Dotonbori (the local shopping district we're visiting again today!), visited one of the worlds largest aquariums, Osaka Floating Garden, Nara aso.

Like, no biggie.

Well anyway.

On Wednesday we went to the aquarium. It had 14 floors. Enough said.

On Thursday we went to Osaka Floating Garden. It was architecturally one of a kind. Enough said.

Yesterday, Friday, we were in Nara and visited the shrines (although we refused to pay the entrence fee to most of them -we'd be pennyless by now if we hadn't, so we just hanged around in the area) and this one with the HUGE-ASS BUDDHA. And with my uncanny explanatory abilities it just might be better to introduce you to the place through an actual photograph.

FYI, the name of the temple was Tōdai-ji and the height of that Buddha is just short of 15m. It was HUGE. Who the hell had the thought process and materials to make it during the EIGHTH CENTURY?

Other than that there were about half-a-million smaller shrined but we didn't visit (did happily pay 500yen to see this Buddha though) and tame deer everywhere.

I wanted to add videos (mainly of the Pacific Ocean -part of the aquarium...) but the internet is so slow that after waiting for 45 minutes for it to load the friggin vid, I gave up and decided I'make the videos public later.

Also the explanations on this entry are bad. I know. But we're leaving in a second to GO SHOPPING and then to OSAKA SPAWORLD *wwwwww*

Monday monday monday

Today we went to Shukkeien, a local Garden. The entrance fee was 150 yen and so totally worth it. It was really beautiful. As pictures give you more than a thousand words and video more than 12 pictures/second I'll give you just that:


YES, it is an otter. IN A PARK, IN THE MIDDLE OF HIROSHIMA. Yeah.

A quick look around, pretty much 180 degrees.

A FISH. It'd take a week for me to eat that. Like what the hell...

Aaaaaaand a lovely crab (*^u^*) the were EVERYWHERE so in the end I just had to document the movement of one. Sorry.

 

After the park we hurried around, trying to find some Okonomiyaki to dull our hunger. The first place we were directed to was closed (well it is Monday and many places are closed on Mondays) so we hiked for another half a kilometre or so and FOUND A PLACE. It was so good oh God. I'd stay here just to eat the food forever.

Miyajima

The day before yeasterday we went to Miyajima, one of the "most beautiful sights in Japan". I think it's ranked third or so. We sat in a tram for forty-five minutes and the ferry ride to the island took about 15 minutes. It was totally worth it. We arrived there during low tide and got to walk around Torii, the symbolic gate before the Itsukushima Shrine

 

Sorry for my face -it was sunny and my eyes were practically bleeding by the time that random person who gracefully offered to take the picture for us actually took the picture.

The Itsukushima Shrine in the middle picture is part of UNESCO World Heritage, by the way. I just wanted to say that, it sounds so civilized and intellectual and whatever I'll just get on with it now.

After visiting the main attractions of the island we went exploring, and found this lovely (and very Finnish in a way -it had pines -the trees- and all) area with steep stairs up to a path which led to a miniature almost-shrine ->

After buying Momiji (maple-shaped small treat with different fillings inside, we bought one chocolate, one cream-filled and one red bean paste filled or whatever. Surprisingly the chocolate-filled was best) we found a place to sit and eat our first ones in peace, and found a lovely seat with a view to the ocean and the Torii. It was fine for a few minutes until the tame deer tried to eat the from our hands... I can say, they were actually very good until the just DIDN'T GET that we wanted to eat them ourselves...... (Ignore the random kid posing on the video :D)

A day in our lives

Today was a weird one. We woke up at about ten, showered etc etc and were out of the door by noon. We walked around, got some breakfast/lunch from a supermarket and went to the Peace Park (which is in walking distance!). We were debating whether or not it would be rude to eat there on the benches which had engraved plates with the names of the atomic bomb victims, and ended up walking to another park to eat. Which was a good decision as we had a fun time. Woah.

We were sitting there on the side of a stream on some random stairs, miding our own business when weirdness enveloped us into her bosom. A biker-by was PRESUMABLY singing, although all we heard was "aaaaAAAAAAaaalalaaa" and then she was gone and we heard no more. Few minutes later two men in their twenties came by and sat next to us for a grand total of about 60 seconds, then retreating 50 metres or so, hanging behind us for a while. One of them had obvious difficulty with KEEPING HIS SHIRT ON. After these fine men had returned to their car, which they had conviniently parked pretty much in the middle of the road we realized that a Junior High kid who walked over a bridge next to us did it for about the fifth time. He was just walking around, making these sharp turns (like over 90 degrees, what?) and stopping at random moments, walking to and fro the park we were sitting in. After mulling this over for a few minutes it was overrided by a man in his late thirties, who started to smirk at us and mumble random things on the other side of that small stream. Then he decided to cross said stream by coming down the two-metre-high bank and jumping to a level rock, working his way towards us by jumping from one rock to another. And I can say those rocks were sparsely spread. After arriving to our side of the stream he flashed us a smirk and again mumbled something incomprehendable, then continued on his way TO CLIMB A TREE.

Liek, do u like mudkipz? We had an interesting day.

Today we arrived to Hiroshima after a four-hour bus trip which was mostly spent asleep. As last night was our final one in Fukuoka, we were supposed to go to bed early, BUT. We had gotten to know several wonderful people and in the end we just kept pushing the whole going-to-bed part later and later until we didn't sleep at all. And we kind only realized that by the time the sun had come up and the reception had opened.

We were just hanging around in the lounge room until about three when we had this inspiration to go to the local 24-hour Konbini. Our newly-found friend decided to buy several alcoholic beverages and we bummed a packet of ham to be able to make an omelet. So we were back at the hostel by half four and Mia and I started to make our omelet without actually knowing if it would be our breakfast or a really (and I mean really) late dinner or something.

We also ended up tasting umeshu and asahi and hanged around on the rooftop area since about when the sun started to come up. Fooling around with the cameras had some interesting results (this is from about 2am?) Sadly most of the pictures were taken not by our camera so we don't have them (yet, at least. Facebook is my lover).

And when we started thinking about it this whole thing started with POPCORN which I had accindentally thrown to my suitcase and as we were going through our stuff we ended up wanting that popcorn and decided to eat it as an evening snack or whatever (iltapala).

After the fun night we ran to our bus which left at 10.20 and made it just in time (we had thought they'd leave about once every hour but there would've been an five hour wait for the next one...) and ended up sleeping pretty much the whole way. (Y)

When we got to Hiroshima we realized we once again hadn't gotten the information about the hostel (J-Hoppers) we were going to stay in and had NO IDEA WHATSOEVER how to get there from the station. So we went to the local bus-info and tried to confirm where we should go and they were so helpful. It was actually an info for those using the bus lines and trying to find the right one but they printed out maps how to walk to the hostel, drew the hostel to us on the map and then a woman left the info area to walk us all the way to the tram stop... ONLY IN JAPAN. And just afterwards when we got off from the tram and tried to find our way from the stop to the hostel, several people stopped and and asked us if were lost, were we fine and would we find our way, confirming we were going to the right direction. A passer-by woman volunteered to lead us here (as she lives close by) and walked with us until we found the door of the hostel and got in. I repeat: only in Japan.

But other than that, I'm hungry and tired but very, very happy right now. If I get something to eat and some good manga to read (eg. the first volume of Death Note I bought) I'll be totally content.

And I'll be adding those promised pictures of Fukuoka when I get by to do it, hopefully it'll be soon. (~*w*)~

Owaaaaaa

I can't believe I'm really back here! Just waiting to get to go to Tenjin again! And Tenjin Core, the shopping center. JUST WAIT YOU, and I'll give y'all pictures of my second home n_______n

I had to give you a picture of some kind immediately but the one above is the only one I've taken in Fukuoka thus far :< It's from the bus when we were sitting and twiddling our thumbs, looking at the clock and thinking "we should've been there already". BUT STILL.

Onsen + FUKUOKA

Today we were SUPER ACTIVE and woke up at 6 o'clock local time. Like, JEEZ, what's up with that? But we wanted to go to the natural onsen, which meant an hour-long trip one-way, which meant an early wake-up.

Well our check-out was at 11 and we wanted to to and fro said natural onsen (in Myoban) so we were at Beppu JR Station by half eight. And walking uphill an hour later. After walking up for better part of an hour we found a lovely natural onsen (hot spring), but I couldn't take actual pictures of the spring because a local came by and after peeling off his clothes -walked right in butt-naked. So you try to go there, take pictures of a hot-watered pond while a random naked man is sitting in it. Maybe not?

We did get Roland (who we met at the hostel and who came with us) to take a picture of us while we soaked our feet in the hot water *---*

I think it turned out quite nice n__n

After coming back to the Beppu Guest House we began our journey towards FUKUOKA. I've been waiting for this, like, since AUGUST OF 2008.The bus trip was supposed to take two and a half hours. But. There was a block on the road/ traffic jam/ I don't even know WHAT but it took us four hours. Four. Like come on, Japan's busses and trains and all that are supposed be on time all the time. 

Like I'll believe anything said to me about these things anymore.

So, we arrived to Hakata Station and I had it mixed up with the Tenjin area, which is actually 1-2 km away, and there we were, riding the bus up to the third floor (the bus went up there. It was seriously w e i r d when a bus is going up those little tunnels made for cars to get to the uppermost levels of a parking lot...) in total blackness of the tunnel, wondering where in the name of all those seven hells we were. And when the bus started playing this "thank you for using this line" explanations-tape we were freaked as we realized this was the last stop and we'd have to get off here. The driver was unceremoniously dumping our stuff to the side of the bus and we were just gawking around, still not knowing where we were, where the hostel was and HOW TO GET THERE.

The driver left us there (being already over an hour late he was probably quite tense), wondering which floor the exit was. It took quite some time to get ourselves in order and out of the building, but when we did we ran into a girl who practically saved our lives (or at least two hours of our day in unessential search) by telling us where our hostel was (she had this little Japan-guide with all basic-and-not-so-basic info in it), where the info was and then lead us to the info even as she herself waas already in a hurry. You whose name I never learned: we will be ever grateful.

In the end and after a lot of fumbling around, stalking with maps and meeting a guy from our hostel in Nagasaki, we found the hostel Khaosan Fukuoka and checked in.

After snooping around for some info on Fukuoka and where-to-go guides we went to the supermarket. and cooked and omelet (Mia did, I poured the milk and dropped the eggs). Then we were on our laptops. Socializing. Then..... we're going to bed. Sorry I'm tired and just can't think of a good, flowing end to the entry so Iäll just stop here kthxbye.