Thursday, January 12, 2012

Day 6-- in transit to Hiroshima

I'm on the train to Hiroshima. I'll be there for like 2 days, then back to Korea (on the most expensive flight ever). Only guna be in Korea for less than 48hrs, then off to Kuala Lumpur and then Thailand! So while my iPod is charging, some more thoughts on Japan::

~I had an older couple behind be on the bus, and I immediately knew they were Korean. Big offenders of the "Korean agreement grunt." I haven't heard any Japanese people do the grunt. It was further confirmed by them speaking Korean.

~The men are way better looking in Kyoto than they were in Tokyo. For the most part, they didn't really have anything on Korean men; but still, a vast improvement.

~Kyoto is super accessible. The bus was easy, but not cheap. There are only 2 public metro lines, but there are a handful of privately operated lines and the JR line (which is the line I can use for free with my Rail Pass). I don't get why it can't be streamlined, but at least it was easier than Tokyo! Many things are walking distance. My first full day (which was also my last full day) I walked several kilometers from my hostel (via Kyoto Station) to Fushimi Inari (see previous post, orange gates). I used my map, but still wandered around for like an hour, and just when I thought I was lost and was going to turn around-- I saw a big group of tourists and was super excited that I was actually able to find it! Took a considerable amount of time to get there, but considering I've really only been eating carbs, I really needed the walk!

~I haven't seen nearly as many children out and about as I do in Korea. I'll periodically see a group of maybe high school or middle school aged kids (usually boys), or really young children with their parents; but other than that it seems like they're all in hiding.

~I collect shot glasses. I can't find them anywhere!! Its so strange to me since most places I've been have them as a staple gift shop item. I've scheduled in some shopping time in Hiroshima so I can get a few things to bring back with me, so hopefully I can find them!

~If you're on a bullet train, and you're not paying attention or like in twilight sleep... you'll definitely get the shit scared out of you if you pass another bullet train. They pass so closely, and are gong so fast that it creates like this massive air blast. Same way but less so, on the metro- felt like I was being punched in the back.

~Looked out the window while we were passing through Osaka, and noticed that the cars were on the same side of the street as they are in the US! Wicked strange considering everywhere else they're on the opposite side!

~I'll definitely need to come back to Japan at some point. It's not cheap, but there is so much more to do and see that I had to skip over because my trip is so short. I still need to to Fuji, and I'll want to dedicate some time to that. I want to do north of Tokyo, and the southern islands. Also, I missed a few things in Tokyo and there are a few things I would do/see again. The hostels I've stayed in (so far) have been excellent; and I'm expecting this next one to be on-par with the others because its also a K's House (fingers crossed its more like the one in Tokyo; but at this point I might be too tired to be any fun).

~Once I'm back to Korea after vacation, I'm going to try to play around with the exposure on my pictures. I'll post the ones that come out the best. But beware, I really like the look of super-saturated photos... so a bunch will probably turn out like that!

28 minutes from Hiroshima.. Hopefully A-Bomb dome, baseball field, Aioi Bridge, and a whatever else I can manage in that area before I drop from exhaustion!

Stay tuned, kids!

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