Japan: Ramen bellies and Cup Noodles

We only returned from our last trip in July, but we had started planning our next trip before we even got home. Japan didn’t really rate highly at the time, but after a foodgasm-inducing series on SBS (hosted by Adam Liaw of MasterChef fame) about Japanese cuisine and ridiculously cheap Jetstar flights, we were easily convinced Japan should be our next destination.

Tokyo

 So having absolutely bugger-all annual leave, we headed off to our new employers requesting time off. We are hoping they take this as an indication of things to come, as we were never going to be the kind of employees that build up leave (how does that even happen??). After pleading our cases, both employers said yes so we booked our cheap-ass flights with Jetstar (no food, no luggage, paying with POLI – no extra fees for us thank you very much).

We were greeted in Tokyo Airport with cartoons, cheery music and super friendly staff. We wandered onto the JR local train line (of course we were taking the cheapest option – KG is still a tight wad). We had decided to stay in hostels to meet a few people and perhaps be sociable, but we were bitterly disappointed when we arrived at our hostel and quickly realised it was full of spuds.

We got straight into sightseeing – checking out temples, huge shopping districts, Shibuya crossing, the Japan National Museum and tucking into the ridiculously tasty food. One of our first nights in Tokyo featured an earthquake, which KG thought was Tom rolling over in the bunk below her (not sure if this is a reflection of Tom's size or the flimsiness of Japanese bunk beds).

 We tried a few ‘out there’ dishes during out time in Japan, including whole sardines with egg, raw horsemeat sushi, grilled eel sushi, tofu skin (yuba) and beef intestine hotpot. Sounds disgusting, but tastes amazing. Lucky we had no idea what we were ordering most of the time. The ramen in Japan also deserves a special shout out – my God what a taste sensation.

Simple but so delicious - munching on gyoza at Harajuku Gyoza Lou, Tokyo

Getting adventurous - sushi train at Musashi Sushi in Kyoto

Our okonomiyaki is being prepared in the background - food stalls in Ueno Park, Tokyo

Foolishly we decided to venture on a day trip to Nikko in the middle of Japan’s biggest public holiday. This ‘serene’ complex of temples was a sea of bodies and umbrellas (of course it was also pissing down with rain), and about as serene as a colonoscopy. We definitely recommend staying the night in Nikko and getting in early before the crowds.

Nikko, near Tokyo

Our stunning view of the Futarasan Shrine at Nikko (we think...)

With our JR Rail Passes in hand, we caught our first shinkansen (or bullet train). As predicted, it was ridiculously fast, clean, and punctual. There was a tonne of leg room, which meant significantly less whinging than usual from Tom. We checked out the old-school town of Takayama. We even fit in a short hike, of which we have no photos because some flim flam (i.e. KG) left the camera card in the laptop. We also visited Kanazawa – the huge Japanese garden there was one of the highlights of our trip.

You haven't really visited Japan until you drink canned coffee on a shinkansen...

Checking out the Old Town in Takayama

Kenroken in Kanazawa - the most beautiful garden we saw during our visit

We then headed off to Kyoto, where we would be staying in a traditional ryokan. This is a ‘must do’ in Japan, and it certainly seemed like an excellent idea when we booked it. The place itself was immaculately clean, the owners were incredibly friendly and helpful, and the facilities were great. The only problem is that neither of us, but Tom in particular, are built for Japanese-style sleeping arrangements. We were sleeping on traditional mats, so after two nights our backs were absolutely rooted. The kitchen table required you to sit on the floor cross-legged, which is a physical impossibility for Tom (a.k.a. Giant Ginger). KG also managed to walk full stride into the top of a door frame, smacking her forehead and developing a lovely welt (insert un-ladylike profanities here). Kyoto has a stupid amount of things to do – temples, gardens, restaurants, geisha-spotting and hiking up hills. Be prepared for schoolchildren... lots of schoolchildren. Make sure you say hello!

Kinkakuji, Kyoto

Arashiyama Monkey Park, Kyoto

Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto

Aqueduct at Nanzenji Temple, Kyoto - what a stud.

Tofukuji Temple, Kyoto

We then moved on to Osaka. We didn’t really have high expectations for Osaka, but soon realised it is an awesome city. It has a bit more ‘edge’ than Kyoto, and there seem to be a lot less tourists. The food is amazing (especially the Japanese katsu curry) and cheaper than elsewhere. We visited the Asahi brewery for a free tour and free beer (the tour was in Japanese but the free beer did all the talking). We also visited the Instant Ramen Museum, which was undoubtedly a highlight of the trip. What could possibly beat an entire wall of ramen and the chance to design your very own cup??

Instant Ramen Museum, near Osaka

We also hung out in a games arcade, and acted a little bit stalker-y watching people going to town on the dance and skill tester games. We decided that Dance Revolution couldn’t possibly be that difficult and gave it a go. Needless to say, we made newborn giraffes look like Disney on Ice.

Testing our lack of skill in Osaka

We checked out the ginormous Buddha in Nara, weaving in and out of packs of schoolkids that were keen to practice their English and check out Tom’s facial hair. KG was accosted by a pack of deer after she tried to feed them ‘deer cookies’, which appear to have been the only thing they had been fed all week.

Deer getting in grill at Nara

We then headed off to Hiroshima. We spend the afternoon in the beautiful Peace Park and looking at the Atomic Bomb Dome, we entered the Peace Memorial Museum. It was a very confronting experience, with a lot of graphic pictures. The Museum gave a really balanced view of World War II, and the dropping of the bomb. The Museum pointed out that wrongs were committed by all sides of the war, not just the Allies or the Japanese.

Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima

We also checked out Miyajima, with its famous floating Torii shrine. We caught the cable car up Mt Misen. We couldn’t understand why it was so quiet until we got halfway up the mountain and realised we were completely surrounded by fog and couldn't see a thing. Nevertheless, it was a pretty walk and the silence was golden.

Torii of Miyajima

We headed back to Tokyo nice and early so we could watch the sport of kings – SUMO! Tom is sure he has found his calling, and could join the ranks of the Sumo any minute now. It was fantastic to watch, and there is far more strategy, skill and strength to sumo wrestling than just two fat guys running into one another. We also went to another Japanese sporting favourite – the baseball. There were plenty of enthusiastic cheer squads, lots of great food (of course) and girls delivering beer and icecream to your seat – heaven! We even became fans of the Hiroshima Carp and picked up a t-shirt (originally for Tom, but the largest size they had didn't fit him so was passed on to KG who wore it as a dress).

Sumo!

Baseball in Tokyo (and KG with icecreams)

Japan is one of our favourites so far, we definitely recommend a quick two-weekie holiday from work if you can!