Japan

[swvic]

Third day was a Saturday. Checked out the Tsujiki Fish Market. ‘boo kindly provided a contact who we considered engaging as a guide. We also wanted to check out the Tuna Auctions, but did neither. The auctions are available to just 120 people. Although free to attend, entry is on a first in, first served basis. The line-up starts by 3 am for a 5 am start and I was told there’s often more than 120 people there by then anyway. Also, because the trains don’t run beyond 12:30, you need to stay up all night or get accommodation within walking distance. Too old for the first option and we already had accommodation elsewhere

Anyway, we were there by about 7:30 to learn that the wholesale market keeps tourists out until 9:30. Vigilant security patrol the perimeter and resisted attempts at persuading them we were there as buyers. A bit of thinking got us in though. DON’T look like a tourist. I had a little backpack so I just held it to my waste, took off our hats and sunnies and just walked in like we were meant to be there. White gumboots would have been better than thongs, but we were in. Fcuking amazing. The activity was non stop and it’s easy to see why they don’t want the public in there. The potential to get run down by one of the little turret trucks used for transportation is very real. Amazing array, but the really striking thing was the sheer volume which was enough to convince me that our wild capture fisheries must be closer to collapse than I’d previously thought. If it lives in water, the Japanese eat it. 9:30 rolled around and the hordes came in so we bailed

We headed to Meiji Jinku Shrine in Harajuku. On the way we went to the top of the Tokyo Metro Gov Offices in Shinjuku. It’s worth doing just to get an idea of just how big Tokyo is and costs nothing. The Shrine was pretty cool, but compared to some we saw later, nothing that great. Being a Saturday, there were heaps of Shinto wedding ceremonies happening

Across the road we stumbled across the Tokyo Food Fair. I ate my first octopus balls, something I 1st suspected was whale, but it tasted like fatty beef and a few other things I have no idea what they were. Most of it good though so that was dinner taken care of

Next day was a Sunday so it was back to Harajuku to check out Yoyogi Park which we believed was the place and time to see the weird people doing weird things. Was a bit of a letdown – didn’t get much weirder than sad people pushing prams containing expensive fur babies, but we were somewhat surprised by an area inhabited by what we thought must be otherwise homeless people. Some of the ‘sites’ looked semi-permanent. Seems there’s no attempt to move people on which is somewhat heartening



In the arvo we took the Monorail over to Odaiba. Got off and had a bit of a wander in Odaiba itself. Octoberfest, Car show and artificial beach where nobody swam. Back on the rail for a complete loop. You can see a lot and it’s all weird just as smnmntll said. Even the replica Statue of Liberty. Back to Shinjuku for dinner. Fcuk the food is good and a Sunday night is no deterrent to the vibrancy of the place

[offshore1]

Just don't let grooter get in the hot tub with you. Would make Fukushima look like an ice cream social.

edit: funny you can't write Fcuuschmmma here

[swvic]

Hot tubbin' in the high country coming up soon

Yeah, I've been caught out with the Fukus too

[alakaboo]

Forgot to mention that the guide gets you in early and that's why we used him.
Bit hard to pass for a local worker with blonde children in tow.

[swvic]

I figured the guide would probably get us into the auction as well, but the other reasons would still have been an issue. Was also fun beating security. Once we were in, nobody seemed to care and a few were quite engaging. Appreciated the info nevertheless

Sure I took a photo of someone shaving the skin off a frozen tuna with a kind of home-fashioned axe, but seems I deleted it by mistake. Mrs swvic took heaps in there so there should be one of just that - will check it out with the aim of posting. Looked like a lot of tuna getting wasted with the skin. I was wondering how much had been paid for that particular fish

Re the local worker look; helps that me and mrs swivel are greying

[swvic]

Monday 5th October – first day of the Shinkansen. Caught one to Nagano and then an express to Yudanaka. Went into the tourist info place in Nagano and booked accommodation in a Ryokan. The owner picked us up at the station and took us as far as he could to Jikokudani. From there we walked a couple of kms to check out the snow monkeys. I wondered why they’d be there given the fine autumn weather. Turns out I was right to question. They’re there because people who make money from them spread rice about the place. Not ideal, but it is pretty cool seeing monkeys in warm spring pools. There were also a lot of youngsters which took over the pool after the rice had all been eaten by the tough cnuts. They were fun to watch. Took a bit of vid of them, but I'd already taken the day's photo of an adult in the pool. You can see that the pool itself is man made



Walked back down the mountain and got lost in town. Got dark so I called the ryokan owner and he came and picked us up. We were pretty close. Anyway, the room was fcuking awesome. Traditional screens, first (for me) use of the famous Jap toilets. Little balcony with a great view across the river and town. Was a bit disappointed with the dunny though. I thought they all dried your arse as well as the wash, but alas, that's not the case. I had to dry myself with paper. It was the thinnest tissueiest rubbish I'd ever come across. Ended up with little wads of paper up my arse so it was into the shower and Yukata and then a stroll down the road to our first onsen experience. Was a private one so just me and mrs swvic. One of the rules was no merriment

After that we went to a little noodle restaurant just around the corner. We were the only customers. Can't recall what we ate, but it was excellent. Also had a locally brewed pale ale which was really good. Halfway through eating, a bloke came in and sat on the next table. Despite the language barrier, we exchanged pleasantries and attempted to have a conversation. I learned he's a farmer who mostly grows apples, asparagus and beans. He thinks I work in a lavatory. He gave me a card and that's the moment I realised I'd made an error. The exchange of cards and/or small gifts is pretty common in Japan and I had neither. The really shitty thing about that was we'd discussed this before we left Aust. We were going to get fridge magnets of either Warrnambool or the Great Ocean Road to hand out, but we both forgot

[alakaboo]

Yeah lots of wastage in the tuna processing.
But the flesh just under the skin is sinewy and no good raw.

[diggerdickson]

Just got into this thread. Loving it.

[swvic]

Might be bored by the end, digger. I've still got a couple of weeks to go

I figured the guide would probably get us into the auction as well, but the other reasons would still have been an issue.

Actually, it wouldn't have. Guide would probably have picked us up? Oh well

Tue 6th
Back to Nagano. Interesting checking out the farming activities from the train. Some of the grape vines had trunk thicknesses to suggest they were very old, maybe >100 years old. And they weren't growing in rows as per everywhere else I've seen. They were still supported by post and wire, but the main trunk would rise up a corner post to about 2 m height and then grow horizontally supported by wires and snake its way diagonally across the plot. They'd harvest the grapes from underneath

The most intense farming I saw was happening in this area. They were growing just about everything you could imagine, but it still looked like lots of small farms - I saw no evidence of big agriculture ventures here or anywhere else in Japan

We then took a Shinkansen to Kanazawa. It has the 300 yo Kenroku-en garden that is said to be among Japan’s finest. It was pretty good, but mrs swvic was a little disappointed as her expectations were very very high. After that we checked out the castle which, although to be outdone later, was a great thing to see. Later and again the following morning we wandered through the Omi-Cho market that was established in the mid 1700s. As per all the markets, there's lots of stuff you’d never think was food until you see people eat it. Had a bit of everything, but was dominated by food - fresh and dried seafoods, veges and fruits




Kenroku-en Garden

[chrisb]

Good travelogue swvic.
I've heard conflicting opinions about the cost of living (food, travel, accommodation) relative to Australia. What was your experience?

[swvic]

From our experience, Japan was quite a bit cheaper. The Rail Pass makes for cheap travel on the bullet trains, but it's apparently quite expensive for Japanese nationals. You have to buy it before you get to Japan. We did a bit of travel that the pass didn't cover, but it wasn't too costly. Eg., we got a return bus from Takayama up to Kamakoche which I think was about Aus $100 for both of us. More than worth it though. The JR Pass does work for some buses and the ferry over to Miyajima Island. Would have happily paid for that too

Reasonable hotels were about 10 000 - 130 000 Yen ($120 - 150). They are mostly pretty small, but we were spending very little time in them. Most expensive we paid was for two nights in Nara on either a Fri & Sat or Sat & Sun night. It was about $400 Aust for both nights, but that included breakfast and onsen. 70% of hotels included breakfast. Compared to Melbourne (walking distance to main train station) we would pay a bit more. I did an Airbnb stay in Tokyo for the first and last few nights we were there. Place was small and very modest (mats on floor for beds), but comfortable and was in a great spot. About $80/night. All other accomm was booked online (Agoda/Booking.com) mostly just one or 2 days before checking in. Even the Airbnb was booked online from Melb airport just before departure

Food is mostly way cheaper. We always ate out or stuff we bought from places like 7/11. The convenience stores mostly have a pretty good variety of stuff that's good for lunch (ate lots of sushi and prepared salads). Really cheap and good. All 7/11s also have ATMs that take foreign cards which made that really easy because there's virtually a store on every other corner. For dinner, you could spend a lot, but we mostly didn't and it didn't matter what you ate, the quality was usually outstanding. We ate at a mexican restaurant one night and it was just about the best I'd had. Same for an Indian and Italian. That fits with what I had been told - no matter what you eat, it's good. There's also street stalls at quite a few places. It's also cheap and good. I ate too many gyoza dumplings. 5 or 6 for a couple of dollars. Udon noodles for a few dollars etc., etc. First time I was slurping those I thought of how disgusted Loofy would have been listening to me

Bottled water is cheaper. Beer is cheaper, but I'm comparing that to buying single vessels - didn't really see anywhere where you might buy a slab. Again, you can buy a beer in any convenience store. You can drink it in the street, on the train, anywhere. They sure have maintained some freedoms that we've allowed to be taken from us

If you have any specific questions, just ask

[swvic]

Oh yeah, I liked using Booking.com because you'd just pay the hotel direct rather than an online card payment. Another thing to consider is that Japan is mostly a cash economy which makes the convenience of the 7/11 ATMs even better

Edit: Nearly all the temples, shrines and gardens charge an admission. Average is about $10. Over the time we were there, we would have spent a bit just on that, but they were all mostly worth it - especially when you consider the cost of maintenance

These spots could also get quite busy. On the weekends it would be mostly families and through the week there are lots of school groups. Never enough to detract greatly from the experience though. You'll love it

[chrisb]

Thanks, that sounds like pretty good value. A workmate last year said it was cheaper than Australia but from other earlier sources the opposite was said (although that may well have been based on when Japan was the world economic leader).

Yes, thats the dilemma of tourist sites everywhere. Avoid the weekend family crowds and risk school groups on the weekdays.

BTW, has the Australian Story whistleblower set up shop again?

[alakaboo]

Japan is definitely cheaper for families. About the only things that might be more expensive are red meat and hotel rooms for more than 3 people.
You could spend a lot in a bar like Gas Panic if you tried, but booze in general is a lot cheaper.

[Beerfan]

How much of the population speak English, and do they get the shits if you can't speak Japanese??

[alakaboo]

In tourist towns most people under 60 are pretty good and there are signs and menus etc in English.
If you go really off the beaten track you would struggle with anyone over say 30?

But you can normally make yourself understood even if you don't have a common language. Just look at Daryl.

I can speak some Japanese so swivel can probably answer the second part better.

[swvic]

BTW, has the Australian Story whistleblower set up shop again?

Not sure, but coincidentally I'll be going past today. I'll let you know

As 'boo says, beery, but excepting one bus driver, nobody got the shits with us (I'll expand on the bus driver later). I had a translate app on my phone, but it was pretty shit. Googling 'Japanese word for ...........' was pretty effective. The people were great. If you'd look at any map or info board for more than a couple of minutes, someone would usually offer to help. Happened a couple of times in restaurants too. Someone would hear the English, quickly determine we couldn't read the menu * and offer to help

* For reasons unbeknown to me, most menus had English language headings - the very bit you could determine had it been the other way around

But you can normally make yourself understood even if you don't have a common language. Just look at Daryl.

Hope daryl reads it

[swvic]

He's still there so I haven't yet brought him undone



No produce today, but it's been grey and drizzly. There's an upgrade you can see left of shot. Got me fcuked how council let him build that - maybe he thinks himself above the law Passenger took the photo on the way past this morning. I'm back that way on Tuesday so I'll check it out then and take a photo from a better angle