So I know it has been quite awhile since I posted part 1 (well since I posted anything really) So I am sorry for that but here it goes ;)
Were was I? Oh yes, how could anything be better then my first week? Well I was pleasantly surprised. After we stopped in the amazing town of Nikko we headed further North into the city of Sendai. I ate the local delicacies of BBQ cow tongue which was really tasty, and spent the night with some wonderful people just enjoying the city sights, after our small overnight stay our small group split off again to head to different parts of Japan. Some people had jobs and such to return to.
My sister and I along with another friend headed to Ishinomaki where we met up with some of my sisters former English students, and what a great time we had. From traveling to mystical island temple to wash money and play with wild deer who inhabited the temple, to spending a night singing karaoke in a small local bar with Japanese senior citizens who would make most western youth lazy by comparison. I had another wonderful week of exposure to life in Japan from a "small" town point of view. These wonderful people became more then just our hosts or friends and became our Japanese parents. From asking the young ladies in the bank if they wanted to marry me (this was really funny) to surfing waves our boat flew over our Japanese parents showed energy, and a zest for life I found amazing.
After a week spent in the North of Japan, we had to say our farewells to the many friends we made and started our new journey to Southern Japan.
Now let's get this strait, everywhere I went in Japan was amazing, and I could not believe that as I headed South towards the city of Kyoto that it would still get better! First stop "HOLY COW!" The life size 1:1 scale Gundam in Shizouka! I had an understanding of how Japanese loved manga and art and animation and revered them almost as much Greeks love their Mythology. But when we mentioned to our friends family at the dinner table that we wanted to see the Gundam which we could see from the train station in the distance, everyone including our friends parents where excited to talk about it. Our friends mom even asked if she could go as well! It was amazing to me to see things I loved being treated with so much respect and awe, where here in Newfoundland or Greece, people would just comment about it as just a cartoon as opposed to art.
After we saw the Gundam it was time to lift our bags and continue on our way to Kyoto....Wow, if I wanted to live anywhere in Japan (which I actually do) I wanted to live in Kyoto. What a beautiful city, a mix of the modern with the historical, a real live place of fantasy. Leaving the subway terminal to meet with our local friend Fukachan (XOXO) we found ourselves surrounded by samurai's, princesses and various soldiers of all sorts, marching through the city streets in a parade. It was so amazing! We met with another new friend who had the brilliant idea the following day, to experience the city on rented pedal bikes traveling from temple to temple (thanks Akari XOXO!). A quick funny note. After almost three weeks of eating with chopsticks we had dinner at an Italian restaurant and both my sister and I could barely use a fork..they felt really odd in our hands.
The following days we attended the Fire festival, met with even more friends from the SWY and visited the Manga Museum, and hike though the city at night! Ate with ninjas (themed restaurant) and I went shopping in a district of Kyoto that was a shopping district for over 500 years! I am Greek so I have been in old buildings and areas waaay older, but this shopping district wasn't a tourist attraction, it was what it was for the last 500 years...just think about that. People where shopping there, doing the exact same thing, trading and selling from almost 270 years before the USA or Canada where even countries!!! It blew me away!
OK I flew across the world to get to Japan, I had super busy days consistently and I also ran every morning, but near the end of my trip I was starting to feel it. My sister and I had a few days left and we where going to visit more of her friend's in Osaka but honestly I had no idea what was going on this day, I was exhausted. I am not sure how we got there but on that dark day, I found myself on a table being electrocuted and massaged. Wow that was the exact thing I needed when I needed it! Talk about being refreshed! Her friend we ended up meeting was Yui and he owned his own massage clinic. What a treat! which paled in comparison to meeting his family and having a fun time shouting "HONDA!" with his son. That night ended with us traveling to the outskirts of Osaka and staying with her friend Yuka.
Osaka was also brilliantly beautiful, with Japans largest lake and many more castles, we went adventuring again, but this time with Yuka and her younger brother Kunitomo and bumped into our old traveling buddies Mark and Shino! From dressing up as a Kendo warrior, to experiencing the breath taking views of the local castles the last few days in Japan where just as equally amazing as the first few days...sadly after three weeks, it was time for us to board our final train back to Tokyo and leave on a jet plane back to Newfoundland Canada.
So many more amazing things happened while I was there, spiritually, emotionally and physically which I just do not want to write about and just keep them as personal treasures for myself. I will always have a deep rooted love for Japan, and I hope someday I can make a viable living there or as a minimum return trip. I cannot believe that its already been over a year since that wonderful adventure took place. Like the name says, I will make sure to travel more and as much as I can.
Cheers,
TheSpartanTraveler
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