I got back from Japan about three weeks ago. The trip was seven days long. It took me and my friends up from Hakata to Hiroshima, Himeji, Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo before taking a train all the way back to Hakata.
Japan was nice! It's not as expensive as everyone says. However the trains were really expensive! They cost more than trains in Europe. Other than that, hostels were the same price they are almost anywhere. Food & drink was a decent price, too. Everything was not much more than in America. It was really clean there which makes it worth the money.
Everything was clean: the hostels, the trains, even public restrooms. Every public restroom I used was SPOTLESS (then again I didn't go to any clubs, etc.). The only thing I didn't like was the heat. It wasn't so hot outside but the humidity was unbearable. And because we would move from hostel to hostel, with our backpacks in tow, almost every day for 7 days straight, it was a struggle. I was lucky I packed really light, just three changes of clothes. Haha!
Would I rather be in Japan or South Korea? Well South Korean women are much more beautiful. Physically, on the whole, they look better. But the Japanese dress so well! They are not slaves to culture/society as much as Koreans. I feel like people around where I live, men and women, have about 3 different hair styles and 5 different clothing styles. My friends and I have a joke:
Me: "I heard you went out on a date last night. What did she look like?"
Friend: "Well, she was really cute. She had Hair #2 and Clothing #5!"
The area that I live in is a little conservative, as it is in a major farming province. So fashion styles aren't very risky.
During next week, the 21th to the 23th is Chuseok. Chuseok is a traditional Korean holiday that celebrates the harvest. It is one of the largest national holidays in Korea and everyone usually gets at least three days off from work. Luckily, I have four off, so I get a six-day weekend! For Chuseok I am going to Seoul with three others to sight-see. We will see the temples and museums, go shopping, and to go to Itaewon for some real foreign food.
Itaewon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itaewon) is the foreigners area in Seoul. I heard it has some decent Tex-Mex, so I'm there! I'll let you know what happens there. Until then!
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| The whole group atop the Shin-Umeda Sky Tower in Osaka. |
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| Bento box lunch on the bullet train. Me looking like a jerk wearing sunglasses indoors. In fact, those sunglasses made me hangover proof that day. |
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| Me in my yukata. |
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| Downtown Osaka at night. |
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| Pachinko! I played 30 dollars and abruptly left. Got 8 back. It was so cool. They give you tiles or little plastic cases with a coin in them and tell you to go around the back of the place. You walk up to a shady bank drawer with no window. The drawer suddenly opens, as if someone was watching you. You put in your tiles and take out your winnings in cash. |
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| Himeji Castle. Too bad it was being restored at the time. Still amazing. |
