-== Bernie's brain backup of April 2009 ==
+== Bernie's brain dump as of April 2009 ==
-=== Arpril 24th -- 1 megameter by train ====
+=== April 29th: Back to Tokyo ===
+
+
+
+=== April 28th ===
+
+==== Guided tour ====
+
+Pictures of our day-long [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nikko/waterfalls_tour]] are now online.
+Our friendly guide, the Buddhist monk whose name I forgot, answered many of our pending questions
+about Japanese traditions and religion. Hiking through these sacred mountains and woods was an
+enjoyable experience.
+
+TODO: assemble a good video from all the scenes I took along the way
+
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nikko/waterfalls_tour/00038.jpg|maxwidth=800}}
+
+==== Nikko Temple Area ====
+In the afternoon, we went to visit the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nikko/world_heritage_site]].
+One would expect to grow bored of Shinto and Buddhist temples after seeing many of them
+all over Japan, but visiting the Nikko temple area was once again an extraordinary experience.
+And I could finally spot a few [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miko]]s too!
+
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nikko/world_heritage_site/00096.jpg|maxwidth=800}}
+
+=== April 27th ===
+
+==== Afternoon: travel to Nikko ====
+
+Nikko is in an adjacent valley east of Nagano on the Japanese alps. Unfortunately, no train lines
+and busses connect them directly, so we had to take an expensive -- yet very fast -- Shinkansen
+detour all the way down to Saitama and then up again.
+
+Once at the station, we immediately realized it was a good deal, after all.
+This mountain town overflows with temples, world heritage sites and statues of Buddah
+spread in an extremely beautiful natural environment with many great falls, ancient woods
+and hot springs where even wild monkeys take an onsen.
+
+Our [[http://www.nikkoparklodge.com/|hostel]] is ran by Zen monks and serves an unforgettable
+vegan dinner with seit. In the evening, we exchanged excited stories with a family of Italian tourists from Milan who had
+chosen to travel by car rather than by train to save money and gather access to places unreachable
+by public transport. Quite a smart idea for groups of 3-4 people who aren't afraid of driving
+on the left.
+
+Surprisingly, one of the monks speaks perfect English. He told us that he lived in California
+for some time. An explanation worthy of the plot of a very bad 007 movie, where locals
+always happen to speak English somehow, saving James from the embarrassing need of resorting
+to silly gestures in order to get his stupid Vodka Martini the way he likes it.
+
+Tomorrow, of course after our morning yoga and vegan breakfast, we're going on a day long
+guided hiking tour with the monks, which sounds really cool.
+
+**UPDATE**: ouch!
+
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nikko/00026.jpg|Ouch!|maxwidth=640}}
+
+==== Morning: Zenko-ji ====
+
+In the morning, we tried again to visit the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenk%C5%8D-ji|Zenko-ji]].
+Even on a Monday, the queue was not much shorter. A nice volunteer guide advised us that
+the pilgrims where queuing just to touch a wooden pole with an inscription on it that was
+right in front of the temple, and we could skip aside if we weren't interested. So we did.
+
+We still had to queue for half an hour inside the temple to reach the secret chamber where
+we would get the rare opportunity to see the hidden Buddha, visible only once every seven
+years. Quite a lucky combination! I was impressed by the devotion of the people around me.
+The spiritual side of Japanese people does not seem to clash at all with their high-tech lifestyle.
+
+Behind the temple, we were led down a narrow staircase to a dark and twisty corridor beneath
+the temple. We had to walk in the pitch black obscurity, touching the walls in search of a
+metal key of enlightenment. I could finally get hold of the key and turn it, but the most
+enlightening part of this experience was hearing the crowd of tourists apologizing for bumping
+into each other all the time ;-)
+
+I only have outdoors [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nagano/Zenko-ji|photos]] becuase taking
+pictures inside was strictly forbidden. A monk yelled at me just for fiddling too much with
+my camera, which was quite surprising, considering how tolerant Japanese people usually are
+towards our ignorance of their culture.
+
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nagano/Zenko-ji/00186.jpg|The sacred inscription we can't read, let alone understand|maxwidth=800}}
+
+=== April 26th: Matsumoto again ===
+
+==== Back to Matsumoto ====
+
+Our [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nagano/Shimizuya_Ryokan|ryokan in Nagano]] was simply great.
+Everything was traditional Japanese-style, including the room, the onsen and the breakfast.
+
+We tried to visit the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenk%C5%8D-ji|Zenko-ji]] right next to our
+ryokan, but we spotted a really long queue of pilgrims at the entrance, so we went back to the
+station to visit the [[http://localhost/wiki/Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Matsumoto/Castle|Matsumoto Castle]],
+one of Japan's top 3 castles ([[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Matsumoto/Castle|photos]]). The adjacent
+museum was also great ([[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Matsumoto/Museum|photos]]). On our way back, we've found
+a peculiar [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nagano/dancing_kids|dancing show]] with cute little girls and their
+teachers.
+
+Apparently, by leaving Nagano we missed some kind of prayer or event held by Tibetan monks at the
+[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenk%C5%8D-ji|Zenko-ji]]. Too bad, it might have been a good chance
+to show some support for the Tibetan cause. Go, Tibet, Go!!
+
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Matsumoto/Castle/00147.jpg|Soooo conventiinal!|maxwidth=640}}
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Matsumoto/Castle/00108.jpg|Scary, uh?|maxwidth=640}}
+
+=== April 25th: Matsumoto ===
+
+Yesterday, we arrived on a rainy night to the mountain town of Matsumoto, where a lady with a car
+took us from the station to a cozy [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Matsumoto/family_hostel|family held hostell]].
+The next day was rainy, so instead of going right to the famous [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matsumoto_Castle|Matsumoto Castle]],
+we spent the best part of the day at the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Matsumoto/Station|station]] and
+with some dumb [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Matsumoto/Shopping|shopping]].
+
+In the evening, we headed to [[http://wikitravel.org/en/Nagano|Nagano]], a city famous for the
+1998 winter olimpics and for an ancient [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zenk%C5%8D-ji|buddhist temple]].
+
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Nagano/Shimizuya_Ryokan/00053.jpg|All sorts of accommodations come with good wi-fi, including traditional ryokans|maxwidth=800}}
+
+=== April 24th -- over 1 [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megametre|megameter]] by train ====
+
+**UPDATE**: the report for [[blog/2009/April#kyoto-higashiyama|April 21st]] is now available!
We left our comfortable hostel in Kyoto early in the morning for a second Shinkansen
ride of 360Km, this time on the faster [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nozomi_%28train%29|Nozomi]].
their first-hand testimony with the help of black and white photographs and melted
items from the museum. After causing so much horror and observing its consequences,
what did we do about it? We quickly built **thousands** of bombs much more
-destructive than [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boy|Little Boy]]. Smart indeed!
+destructive than [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Boy|Little Boy]]. Smart move.
As usual, I couldn't refrain from taking [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Hiroshima|a load of photos]] here too.
These probably can't deliver the pain in the chest one gets by visiting the museum,
Shinkansen for another 690Km ride to another location which will be revealed
in due time. Don't miss the next amazing episode of Bernie's Adventures!
-{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Hiroshima/00079.jpg|"Peace" written with origami cranes|maxwidth=480}}
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Hiroshima/00079.jpg|"Peace" written with origami cranes|maxwidth=640}}
Also check the story behind the [[http://www.city.hiroshima.jp/shimin/heiwa/crane.html|millions of paper cranes]]
sent from all over the world in memory of the little Sadako.
-=== April 23rd -- Kyoto last day ===
+=== April 23rd -- Last day in Kyoto ===
+
+==== Morning: Arashiyama by bike ====
-We visited a few more places:
+In the morning of this sunny day, we biked to a few locations on the
+east side of Kyoto:
+
+ * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Dakakuji|Dakakuji]], an active Shingon Buddhist temple
+ * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Tenryuji|Tenryuji]], another beautiful Buddhist temple with a beautiful Zen garden, next to a bamboo forest
+ * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Monkey_Park|Monkey Park]], a place where you can closely observe and interact with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macaque|Japanese macaques]].
+
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Monkey_Park/00028.jpg|see no evil, hear no evil, speak no English|maxwidth=800}}
+
+==== Evening: a city I did not like ====
+
+At last, I've found a place I actually didn't like much in Japan!
+The first impression of Osaka's central station was that it was old and
+dirty. Of course one could still eat on the floor, and coming from
+[[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Shin_Kyoto|Kyoto's station]] might
+have compromised my judgement. There was big crowd of busy people
+everywhere, and if //you// bump into someone, //they// don't apologize
+for it.
+
+Our copy of the Lonely Planet highly recommended [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%8Dtonbori|Dotonbori]]
+at night for its "Blade Runner views", so we headed there. They must have watched
+a version of the movie with bad special fx, because all I could observe in
+Dotonbori was a narrow street sided by neon signs of restaurants and pachinkos.
+Just above average, imho, and certainly not worth the time and the price of the
+train ticket. Unless you're a moth, perhaps.
+
+{{http://www.codewiz.org/wiki/Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Osaka/00003.jpg|The Osaka central station|maxwidth=800}}
+
+We granted our guide a second chance and choosing their highest rated
+restaurant in Dotombori, one specialized in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udon|udon]].
+There was no English menu and the only food I could order was a chest of cold
+spaghetti on a bamboo crate with no sauce but a cup of soy sauce, also cold of course,
+in which one could dip them separately. Or so I understood: the waiters were extremely
+kind but wouldn't speak English, which created even more confusion. //Dulcis in fundo//,
+the bill was much higher than usual and they wouldn't take credit cards.
+
+We rushed back to the metro to Shin-Osaka, JR train to Kyoto, local train to
+Arashiyama, where our bikes were still waiting for us for the ride back home.
- * Hmmm...
=== April 22nd ===
+==== Kyoto Higashiyama ====
+
+Today we walked along the east side of Kyoto, north to south:
+
+ * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Ginkakuji|Ginkakuji]] -- rock garden with a view point;
+ * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Eikando|Eikando]] ([[http://www.eikando.or.jp/English/index_eng.htm|home page]]) -- an active Buddhist temple
+ * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Chion-in|Chion-in]] -- huge temple with the largest bell in Japan
+ * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Sennen-zaka|Sennen-zaka]] -- a trendy touristic way with maikos (aka geishas);
+ * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Jishu-jinja|Jishu-jinja]] -- a temple hanging on a cliff with an impressive scaffolding;
+ * [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Fushimiinari-taisha|Fushimiinari-taisha]] -- The multi-torii tunnel. My #1 favorite shrine!!!
+
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Chion-in/00056.jpg|The huge bell of Chion-in|maxwidth=800}}
+
==== Food ====
Eating in japan can a challenge for a vegetarian who also happens to dislike fish and crustaceans.
* the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Ninnaji|Ninnaji temple]];
* the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Ryoanji|Ryoanji temple]], with its puzzling rock zen garden;
* the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Kinkakuji|Kinkakuji temple]] (aka golden temple);
- * the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/NijojoCastle|Nijojo castle]], which is actually two castles for the price of one;
- * a quick tour of the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/KyotoDowntown|Kyoto downtown]];
+ * the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Nijojo_Castle|Nijojo castle]], which is actually two castles for the price of one;
+ * a quick tour of the [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Kyoto_downtown|Kyoto downtown]];
* the [[http://www.kyotomm.com/international/english/|International Manga Museum]] was closed already. Grrr....
{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Kinkakuji/00012.jpg|the golden temple of Kinkakuji|maxwidth=800}}
==== Best hostel ever ====
-The [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/UtanoHostel|Utano hostel]] in Kyoto would rival many
+The [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Utano_Hostel|Utano hostel]] in Kyoto would rival many
five star hotels I've seen. Sorry I couldn't take any photos in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen | Onsen]].
-{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/UtanoHostel/00005.jpg|the hostel provides a traditional goan too|maxwidth=800}}
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Utano_Hostel/00005.jpg|the hostel provides a traditional goan too|maxwidth=800}}
==== Impressive station ====
-The [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/ShinKyoto|Kyoto station]] is an impressive modern building,
+The [[Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Shin_Kyoto|Kyoto station]] is an impressive modern building,
worth a visit by itself.
-{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/ShinKyoto/00015.jpg|Anime characters by Osamu Tezuka|maxwidth=640}}
+{{Pictures/vacation/japan_2009/Kyoto/Shin_Kyoto/00015.jpg|Anime characters by Osamu Tezuka|maxwidth=640}}
==== Shinkansen tour ====
projects / wiki.git / blobdiff