|
After I blinked my eyes a few times, not only the crazy yet eventful 2008 left, my 11 days long winter holiday also comes to an end. It seems every day fly by so fast that I don’t even have a chance to make notices for what I have done. Nothing bad, I hope.
Welcome 2009!
The New Year celebration at Mark and Serge’s house was a lot fun. We handmade at least 600 dumplings with four different kinds of filling. Of course, everything was from scratch. I cannot think a better way to send 2008 away for good.
I had a pretty good year in 2008, but I hope it will be even better this year. Horoscope tells me that I should travel a little bit more this year. Well, it looks like it’s going to be that way. I have a long trip to North Carolina in couple weeks, which is not really something that I am looking forward to — I will spend Chinese New Year (January 26) in a hotel room alone, how can that be exciting? There are also trips going to DC and perhaps Vancouver planned. However, I am thinking about to make a trip to Russia or Thailand for this year’s vacation.
Who knows, I might just end up going back to Japan.
During the break, I didn’t really accomplish much. Which is precisely a vacation and break should be. I didn’t eat dinner by myself during the entire time, although with my friends. However, I did finish one thing that I am really happy about: organizing thousand plus photos I took during my visit to Japan last October. It brings back the wonderful memories while I upload about three-quarters of them. What a fantastic journey!
I saw beautiful landscapes and sophisticated architecture. I soaked in an onsen (温泉) and a neighborhood sentō (銭湯) like a true Japanese local resident. I visited historical landmarks and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Sites. I ate delicious sushi and sashimi as well as street foods. I took bullet trains all over the country and local trains during rush-hour commute. I witnessed the impeccable politeness and spotless cleanness. I experienced the heartwarming helpfulness and impressive honesty (lost items will always be returned).
Yet, my visit leaves me perplexed more than ever. I simply cannot understand how in the world on one hand Japanese are so polite and kind, and on the other hand they can be so brutal when they invaded China during World War II. I cannot figure out why on one hand Japanese are so environmentally conscious with an excellent recycling program through out the country, and on the other hand they wrap almost every piece of tiny items in plastic and then put in bigger fancy boxes. I am dying to know how a city with immense population can keep streets spotless (just walk around in San Francisco for a few minutes for a comparison). I don’t understand how the sex industry is in the wild open yet the Japanese video is not allowed to show a penis clearly.
Nevertheless, I love the trip and would love to visit this fascinating land again and again whenever I can.
After hours of sorting and captioning, I kept 750 photos that documented this memorable journey. As I said about my China trip in October, a picture is worth a thousand words, therefore, I am going to tell my travel story in three quarter million words.
-
Tokyo is not really my favorite place during my trip, but it’s exciting and I love the energy there.
171 photos taken on October 20, 24, 25, and 26, 2008.
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
-
Nara is basically the first city I visited in Japan. I really enjoy those fearless deer and begin to understand the magnitude of shrines in Japanese lives. It’s my first location of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan.
104 photos taken on October 21, 2008.
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
-
I had the most fun when I was alone at Itsukushima Shrine (厳島神社) in Miyajima (宮島) — I was taking photos by myself with that famous torii (鳥居). Unfortunately, during my visit, the water level was not high enough as I would like to see.
85 photos taken on October 22, 2008.
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
-
It’s an emotional and powerful experience when I visited Hiroshima Peace Memorial. The Genbaku dome is the closest structure to withstand the explosion of the atomic bombing at 8:15 on August 6, 1945. As soon as I saw the dome, my tears started to roll down. It’s extremely sad to see what human beings have done to each other during the war, including what Japanese’s invasion of China. It makes me hate war even more and hope one day peace will be with us.
When I was on a tram leaving the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, an old man came aboard. I moved over to give him some space to sit. He thanked me and sat down. Then he started to search in his pocket. Finally he found something and secretly put in my hand. It’s a piece of wrapped candy! It almost made me cry again. It’s quite possible that his parents’ generation were killing Chinese during the war. And now, he simply shows the most genuine kindness to me, returning my kindness, with affection.
Why do we have to be at war?
45 photos taken on October 22, 2008.
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
-
Kyoto has easily become my favorite city during this trip. I love the quietness and elegant old style neighborhood. The street I stayed is like a small hutong (胡同) in old Beijing. The guest house never locks the front door — there is no need to do that. At night, I still hear people walk around knocking a piece of wood indicating everything is fine around the neighborhood (as in no fire) — a tradition that can be traced back hundreds of years. I am able to walk into a sentō (銭湯) around the corner and bath with the locals. I think I am the only one there who is from out of town.
I am so happy to see Kenji again in Kyoto. After a delicious curry rice he cooked at his apartment, he took me to Kurama Spa Hourokuyu, a hot spring in the mountain surrounded by fog and turning leaves. Socking in an onsen (温泉) in the open air with Kenji is absolutely the highest point of my entire trip.
I think my next vacation might be just stay at the spa for a week.
196 photos taken on October 21, 22, 23, and 24, 2008.
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
-
On a fast moving bullet train from Kyoto to Tokyo, I am drinking sake while looking outside the window and recalling the days in Kyoto. The fog lingers around the mountain tops. To me, it’s so pretty and very sentimental. It reminds me of the fog around the bridge at home. I think I already fall in love with Kyoto, just like with San Francisco.
I was delighted by the final goodbye from the fog in Kyoto.
30 photos taken on October 24, 2008.
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
-
Since I don’t really care much about the busy Tokyo life, on the last day, I escaped it by train to Nikkō, another UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Japan. Actually, by this time, I have seen countless shrines and temples. I didn’t stay there as long as I used to be at a shrine. What am I going to do with the rest of the time? I decided to see a water fall called 寂光滝 showing on a tour map.
When I asked how long it would take for me to walk over to the water fall, a Japanese lady told me that it’s about 30 minutes for the 3 miles distance.
Perhaps Japanese women walk really fast. It took me almost an hour to reach the water fall, and it is way over 3 miles one way. The sky got darker and darker, and I was the only hiker on the road without any street light. I became really nervous, and almost gave up the idea of seeing the water fall. However, the thought of that I might miss some spectacular water fall is totally unbearable. I marched on.
Finally, I saw the water fall — nothing like what I have envisioned. However, I don’t regret that I hiked in the wood all by myself in a foggy dark evening, for a very long distance.
On my way back, I was lost a little bit in the city. I walked into a store and asked for direction. The old store keeper speaks very little English, but that doesn’t stop him from helping me, in Japanese style — he neatly cut a piece of white paper and started to carefully draw a map for me. How can I not miss Japan?
89 photos taken on October 25, 2008.
http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf
I miss Japan. I want to learn more about Japanese people and culture. I want to eat more Japanese food.
I will go back, soon.
|
Silky Tofu, 味道好极了! 