2007-08-06 #1

Japan Time Out

This years holiday led me to Japan. Ten days, which is an awful lot for any of my Korean colleagues. Staying at my cousins house in Yokohama we spent most of our time looking around some of the areas we think are fun for children too. As an additional highlight we had a very nice weekend stay at Lake Yamanakako.

Sightseeing

First of all we had much luck with the weather. Not as humid as in Seoul at the same time, but bright sunshine most of the time. On our first trip we did some shopping at the Yokohama Minato Mirai area. Then we took a ride on the ferris wheel to get a look over the port area. It takes fifteen minutes and I had to reassure my daughter that everything is okay a few times.

Another day we took the Yurikamome Line to Odaiba. The place looks like the remnants of future. The trains starts from Shimbashi and slowly moves over the Rainbow bridge to Odaiba where we left it at the second stop of the water bus. The water bus then took us up to Asakusa where we had to take the train back to Yokohama.

I had not expected to go swimming in Japan, but one day we decided to meet a friend in Kamakura. Here I got the great Green-Tea-Sweet-Potato ice cream I was looking forward to and then we took the small train line to Enoshima beach. Here there was no halting my daughter who wanted to dive into the waves. It is hard work watching a four year old with no fear to walk the water as far out as possible. So I had no chance to actually go swimming but had to carry her back and forth in the shallow part of the beach. A very tiring day … with some added sunburn.

Our last sightseeing trip was to the Epson Shinagawa Aqua Stadium which is some part Aquarium with a dolphin and sea lion show. We visited this place instead of the Ghibli Museum which we had failed to get tickets for. Still a very joyful day with lots of fun for my daughter and my friends children.

Lake Yamanakako was a real timeout. First driving to it through nature we visited a shrine nearby with very old trees. Walking at the lakes shore you can pet carp that wait to be fed at the footbridge. Back at the hotel we were only three families plus two more guests so we could play Wii at our leisure in the lobby a long time.

Shopping

Well, as you might know, there is no IKEA in Korea. But there is one in Japan. So our first shopping trip on sunday took us to IKEA to plunder some of the small things one always buys at the nearest IKEA.

Of course I had to make a trip to Akihabara as well. But this time not to look around randomly but rather to check our a very specific shop who sold a device that is not yet available in Korea. There I bought a ReadyNAS NV+ without disks.

Last, but not least there was one important trip to make the same day. I visited the Esaka Dojo in Shibyua, located in a small shrine not far from the train station. There I ordered my Iaito, the training sword for Iaido. It will take some two month to be finished and I still have to check what the import conditions are in Korea.

Impressions

Its so much quieter in Japan. Even in shopping malls and train stations the noise is not as bad as in Seoul. Also, other people tend to stay out of each others way. Whereas I always have to try to move around others or stop to let someone through its much easier in Japan. In some way it feels much friendlier. However, on the other hand, when you are in a train in Seoul usually no one ever sits in the reserved seats except those it is reserved for. In Japan, no one seems to care. While in Seoul people jump up as soon as you come in with a child to let it sit. In Tokyo it does not matter whether you have to carry a sleeping four year old or not.

One evening I came home after a longer evening out with my japanese friends. However, at the time I arrived in Totsuka the last bus was gone, so I had to walk back home. Not a long walk. However, it reminded me on the virtual walks I did in Shenmue with the small houses, the quiet and those small urban noises around me.

All in all a very nice holiday.