I wouldn't say this trip to Japan was "well deserved," exactly, as we really only worked a few weeks before we got this vacation time. However, Japan was absolutely amazing and it was definitely hard to set the alarm last night and wake up for work this morning.
Our trip started at the Suncheon bus station, where we took one of the coolest/comfiest buses ever to Busan (about 2 hours away). We hadn't booked anywhere to stay that night, so we got lucky when the owner of a little motel let all 5 of us girls stay in a room that was meant for only 2 people. It was a squishy sleep, but nothing we haven't done already! (See blog post re: Mokpo weekend!)
The next morning we headed to the international ferry terminal where we checked in for our 11:45 am ferry. The boat was small, really fast, and nothing like BC ferries at home. Everyone's seat was assigned, and you had to stay seated/buckled for the whole trip. The view leaving Busan was amazing, but after a few minutes it was pretty much open ocean.
After clearing Japanese customs, we headed straight for the train station in Fukuoka, Japan to catch the 300km/hr "Shinkansen Nozomi" train that would take us to Osaka. The ride was awesome... so fast and many great sights along the way! When we arrived in Osaka we had to navigate the subway/Japan Rail (JR) lines to get us to our hostel, called Bonsai Guesthouse. Navigating the JR line turned out to be somewhat of an onerous job at first, but by the end of 4 days we were veterans.
Busan, Korea to Fukuoka, Japan on the ferry
Here is a picture of the Shinkansen, Nozomi train that
took us to Osaka, over 900 km away, in under 3 hours!
Navigating the Japanese subway system turned out to
be surprisingly simple despite the looks of this confusing sign!
For our first night in Osaka we headed downtown, known in Japan as Dotomburi. We were all extremely excited to walk out of the subway and see, what else, but Subway! (sandwiches, that is =) ) Even though we felt a tad guilty about eating western food amidst sushi-heaven, it was such a nice taste of home that we didn't mind at all. Asian Subway even has some cool things Subway at home doesn't: cream cheese, avocado, thick-cut fries, and shrimp sandwiches.
After dinner we wandered around a bit and found a cool bar in one of the alleyways downtown. Downtown Osaka is absolutely beautiful; huge, tall buildings surround you while a river runs parallel with the main street. A few times Emilie and I even said we felt like we could be in Vancouver - the streets are so clean and there are english signs everywhere. A few times I almost forgot I was in Japan!!
The next day was packed with museums, history, museums, and.... more history and museums! If I had to guess, I'd say it was maybe Em's favourite day =). First we went to the Osaka castle which detailed the unification of Japan's two most prominent families in the 16th century. Next we went into the financial district of Osaka and saw the Mint Museum. We learned a lot about the history of the yen and how the modern monetary system of Japan came to be. We saw old coins from around the world, olympic medals, and machinery used to make the coins.
Em and Jenna out front of the Osaka Castle
At the Mint Museum in Osaka
After our Subway Sandwiches from the night before, we definitely wanted some real Japanese food for lunch. We found this great place with Udon noodles... we each tried a different kind, and everything was so delicious. Next was the Osaka Human Rights Museum, by far my favourite stop of the day. The museum was organized by different themes of discrimination - people with disabilities, forced Korean-labourers in Japan, those infected with AIDS from infected blood banks in Japan, homosexuality, etc. It was really eye opening and the exhibits were packed with many different forms of media.
After the museum we headed into the bay area of Osaka, and took a ride on the world's biggest ferris wheel. Very cool. We rode in a glass bottom gondola-type carriage and got some amazing pictures from the top of the wheel. Afterwards we checked out a market with various Japanese foods/souvenirs/clothing and got some sushi for dinner.
World's biggest ferris wheel!
We got some great pictures from the top.
The next day we took the JR train to Kyoto, about 45 minutes away. In Kyoto we visited the Kinkakuji temple (aka the Golden Temple). Currently it exists as a buddhist zen temple, but previously was owned by a powerful statesman who used it as a private villa.
Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto
Our friend Liz who travelled to Japan with us has a family friend, Kate, who works as a silk weaver. Kate was actually staying in Kyoto working at a silk market at the same time we were there, so we all got to meet her and have dinner with her. She was able to show us around a very charming part of old Kyoto, so we got to see some things we otherwise wouldn't have been able to find.
The next day we went to Hiroshima. Our first stop (which actually turned out to be our ONLY stop, because it turned out to be so fascinating) was the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. The museum was absolutely huge, with two main exhibits detailing the history before, during, and after the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima in 1945. The museum was so emotional, yet very powerful at the same time. Through the individual stories told, you really got a sense of the commitment the city of Hiroshima as a whole has made toward attaining total nuclear disarmament. There is a burning flame in the Peace park outside the museum that will stay lit until every country who possesses nuclear weapons becomes disarmed.
It was nice to end our trip to Japan on such an amazing and powerful note. The next day, we headed to Fukuoka and caught the ferry back to Busan. We were a little worried about catching a bus because of the heavy holiday traffic, but to our surprise we were home before dinner. It's amazing to us the travel opportunities we have on this side of the world. The time and money it would take us to get to Vancouver in a car on the ferries can get us to Japan and back. Some of our other friends from orientation went to Cambodia, others went to China, and some went to the Philippines.
We will be sure to keep you posted on all of our upcoming travel plans! Hope all of you are well and are enjoying the blog. Lots of love,
Jenna and Emilie xox
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