3 Weeks Japan – Day 3

Someday in the Rain 24/03

It’s raining today. The prospect of a cold and wet day dampens our fresh morning spirit, but a rice ball breakfast takes care of the necessary energy to step outside the hotel onto the wet streets of Asakusa. Ofcourse a portion of rainy days was to be expected on a 3 week visit, so I shift my attention to the local rainy habbits; this wouldn’t be Japan if there wasn’t a well organised rain plan. While we are quickly surrounded by dozens of umbrellas (preferably the more practical transparant type or ones with a fashionable design), most stores place a little stand at the entrance with plastic disposable umbrella sackets, so customers won’t drip water all over the floor inside. Convenience stores quickly add cheap umbrellas to their assortment. And I finally understand the use of the miniature bicycle lockers outside musea and public buildings. All in all, life goes on in the big city, only slightly more wet.

3 Weeks Japan – Day 2

A trip to the sea 23/03

Today we take a trip away from Tokyo to the coastal Kamakura. Once capital of the entire nation, Kamakura is now a peaceful and quiet town enclosed by mountain slopes and the sea. It’s a picture perfect slow-paced small japanese town.

3 Weeks Japan – Day 1

Welcome to Tokyo 22/03

The most crucial thing for traveling Tokyo must be the Yamanote train line. Like a big transmutation circle it connects the most important places in town, with short intervals and a highly adventurous rush hour. Our gateway to the holy Yamanote is Ueno station, a 20 minute walk from our hotel. Next to the station is Ueno Park, the only large piece of greenery in this part of Tokyo. It’s also home to the national museum, the city zoo and some other museums and historic sites.

Search the sakura

3 Weeks Japan – Prologue

For this new big project I started translating the travel notes I gathered while traveling Japan last month. It’s my way to reflect and reminisce on my adventures in het land of the rising sun. A bunch of stories and pictures about a land full of opposites and contrasts. Views on history and technology, strange habits and uniformity, fashion and temples, gyaru and otaku. I hope you’ll enjoy it.

Grasping Japan

Attentive readers, presuming I have any readers, might have noticed this blog was on hiatus, right after the first posts. A lousy start for a blog, but the reason behind it was the Holy Grail of worthy reasons: a 3 week trip to Japan. Somewhere over time the distant dream of going suddenly changed in a decisive aim. And with a combination of long advanced planning and last minute tweaking I went to Japan right in time for the first sakura blooming and back before the vulcanic ashes terrorised world flight traffic. 3 packed weeks that flew by too fast and leaved me wanting more. I’m still in the middle wether to post my entire travel report in this blog or not. The travel diary I kept is pretty extensive, but if any, this seems the best place for it. In meanwhile I’ll post a brief summary to claim my bragging rights.

Obligatory sakura shot