Melbourne time

Hello, こんにちは Kon'nichiwa

Well hello, Kon'nichiwa, or should I say こんにちは.....

This blog is about my trip to Japan later on this year. The countdown has begun, today is Easter Sunday, 27 March, I fly to Japan in 70 days, 5 hours and 10 minutes! I know three words in Japanese - hello, thank you and goodbye. I don't drink beer and I don't like raw fish. But I love meeting people, seeing new places, culture and history. I will only pass this way but once and I feel the need to try and see as much as I can in as little time as I have. .
Cheers. 乾杯

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Friday 2 October 2015

4. My Itinerary

Well I've worked out my itinerary and am happy with the result. I knew I was going stay the first seven nights in Kyoto and the last four nights in Tokyo, but I was stuck on how to spend the three nights in the middle . After asking for ideas and advice and then researching some places (don't you just love google?), this is it:

Day 1 - Mon 6 June: Melbourne to Tokyo to Kyoto
Day 2 - Tue 7 June: Kyoto
Day 3 -Wed 8 June: Kyoto
Day 4 - Thu 9 June: Kyoto
Day 5 - Fri 10 June: Kyoto
Day 6 - Sat 11 June: Kyoto
Day 7 - Sun 12 June: Kyoto

Day 8 - Mon 13 June: Kyoto to Kanazawa

Day 9 - Tue 14 June: Kanazawa to Takayama
Day 10 - Wed 15June: Takayama

Day 11 - Thu 16 June: Takayama to Tokyo
Day 12 - Fri 17 June: Tokyo Sanno Festival at Hie Shrime
Day 13 - Sat 18 June: Tokyo
Day 14 - Sun 19 June: Tokyo
Day 15 - Mon 20 June: Tokyo to Melbourne

This will give me a nice balance and seeing and staying in the Japan Alps will be a rewarding experience. I'm working out day trips and such, most of which will be done by train.

Thursday 1 October 2015

3. On Using a Communal Bath or Onsen

Would you? In a country such as Japan, where Sentōs and onsens abound, would you avail yourself of them or would you feel uncomfortable? How does a westerner overcome their feeling of self-consciousness and embarrassment on having to parade in their birthday suit? The last person to see me like that was my mother.

Seeing as how I will be travelling to Japan next year, this topic interests me greatly. There are rules which one must follow - The Protocol of the Sento when first I glanced at the photo on the right, I thought they pictured a row of potties! On closer inspection, they are little buckets on which you park your posterior while your wash yourself.



And then having to walk and get into the water - I wonder if you have a good figure if you'd feel less embarrassed than someone who has dangly bits that all head south and gravity has forgotten. I can imagine the thoughts running through the minds of the other bathers - "Gee she's got a big bum", "Look at that stomach and the disgusting rolls of fat", "God, she's obese", "Here comes thunder thighs", while in the men's section they'd probably be thinking, "Mine's bigger than his."


The accommodation place at Takayama has a scenic lookout large communal hot spring bath which has a wall painting over 50 years old and the outdoor scenic lookout hot spring baths look enticing but, well...I don't know if I will have the courage.