Conscience Shift

July 25, 2009 at 10:00 pm (Personal, Transit)
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I’ve now crossed into a different time zone. China is about 13 hours away and I’m feeling a little more excited now, but I’m still missing Japan… I’ve had a lot of time to think on this boat ride, and a lot of time to sleep. I’ve been doing a lot of sleeping on this boat, I slept 12 hours last night (woke up at noon) and slept again from 3:00pm-5:00pm. It felt good and definitely made up for the lack of sleep of the past week. I’m ready to start anew!

I’ve met some people today, a Czech named Martin who studied in Xian, China for 1 year, and Jesse, an American teaching English with the JET Programme in Japan. Today, two little girls kept staring at me. Was it because I was white? Was there something on my face? I wouldn’t know since they didn’t speak English, but luckily, Jesse spoke Japanese and later at night, as I walked in from outside and spotted the girls giggling again, Jesse found out why they had been looking at me all day… they wanted to know why my hair was so short! The mother had said they had been wanting to touch my hair all day, so I offered as I laughed, but they shied away. Cute. I’m glad to know that my hair is getting me so much attention! Haha! Getting a bit of socializing in my day made time go by a little quicker, in fact, the boat ride actually did go much quicker than I thought it would. Although it wasn’t all bad without the socializing, I spent a lot of my time outside. The sea breeze and fresh air did me good. I spent hours outside today, just staring out at the open waters and occasional passing ships, all whilst listening to my music. Late at night, after dinner and a few drinks with Martin at the karaoke bar (karaoke will apparently drive me insane in China), I went back outside. It was raining, but I didn’t mind. There’s something about the nothingness at night that’s so appealing. I was alone on the upper deck, and it wasn’t long before the rain stopped and the clouds cleared, opening up the sky to thousands of stars, the likes that I have not seen in a long time. Japan had been so bright that sights like this were a rarity, so I felt privileged to be able to get a glimpse at such a spectacle. I’ve never seen the stars from the sea like this, where no lights can obscure the view. Thousands of stars glowing beyond the horizon, and I just stood there looking up and around. I saw home, my friends and family, but I’m not ready to come back, not yet. My story is still being written, and whatever it is I’m looking for, I haven’t found it yet. I don’t exactly know what “it” is, but I know that I’ll know once I hear, see, or feel it.

I’m yearning for knowledge of the world, and though I’m getting it in limited doses, I feel that there’s so much more to learn. My stays in each destination may be too short. Maybe I should settle down in one particular location and take in as much as I can before moving on, but time is such a large factor…  At first, I thought this trip might have been too long, but as I go along, I’m thinking that this trip is too short. Everyone was right, a trip like this doesn’t cure the travel bug, it just adds fuel to the fire. If only I had more time and money, then who knows where I’d end up. I’m not saying that I don’t miss my home and that I’m not coming back, far from it, but I could definitely use more time. Continue learning Japanese, work in a rural area and really take in the culture, study Aikido,… as I move nomadically from place to place, I find out that there’s so much more that I want to do.

I guess, in a sense, that’s how I’ve changed so far. Before I came on this trip, I was determined to go on this journey, come back home, and start making some money. I was really career-oriented, but now I have new aspirations. If I could find a hybrid between the two, then my life would be set. This trip was simply supposed to be a break from work back home, but it’s turning out to be much more than that. I’m not exactly sure what that means for me specifically, or where my journey will take me now, but I’m getting eager to find out.

Time for sleep… Tomorrow I’ll be in China!

-LL

P.S. I can’t understand y’all!

P.P.S. You can get the photos of the boat ride here.

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Went to Japan, Got More than What I Bargained For…

July 24, 2009 at 10:00 pm (Japan, Kyoto, Transit)
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July 24, 2009… the day I left Japan. I’m no good at departures, and today was no different. I went to Japan, and I think I got more than what I bargained for. Sandal Wood hostel, not really a hostel to me anymore… it was more like my home in Japan. I became good friends with Zin and Jumi, and a little bit more with Jumi. This morning was a hard goodbye. Jumi didn’t go to sleep so that she wouldn’t miss my leave, and Zin made sure to put his alarm on bright and early so that he could do the same.

It was an early morning. I slept in the common room again, even though I had a bed available. Late at night, after everyone else is gone to bed, is the only time that I could get alone with Jumi, so we took advantage of that pretty much every night, even if that meant going to bed at 6:00am. She took me out again last night, told me she had so many places she wanted to take me to see, but couldn’t since I was leaving. We had to make a little white lie to Zin so that we could actually go out, because when Jumi isn’t at the hostel, Zin has his hands full with the guests. But hey, it was my last night in Japan. We went for drinks, and walked around downtown a little bit. The night was fresh. Not the typical muggy and humid Japanese evening I’ve grown accustomed to since my arrival. I got to know Jumi a little better. She has aspirations, which is admirable. Her English is good, but she wants to become better to become a translator. She also had some pretty good stories about her life experiences, studying Zen, her travels… The night was good, but short. We had to get back by 11:00pm to help out Zin, but we ended up getting back at 11:30pm. Oops… Oh well, the guests seemed fine and the hostel was in one piece when we got back. Surprisingly, everyone went to bed pretty early last night. Even Zin, who usually stays up as long as Jumi and I. We stayed up late, but I eventually fell asleep. I had an early morning coming up…

It was a slow morning. I was in no rush to get out, in fact, I didn’t really want to. One thing though, the Spanish group that was staying at the hostel got up at 5:00am! They’ve been doing this pretty much every day. Get up at 5:00am and get back in at 9:30-10:00pm. I really don’t know what they could be doing for so long during the day, I mean, most attractions close at around 5:00pm. It’s not like they come back drunk every night, so what is it exactly that they do? Oh well, they weren’t too noisy, so I wasn’t bothered really. I woke up at 7:00am on the couch in the common room. Jumi brought me some coffee and some cut fruits. Can’t expect any less when staying at Sandal Wood. All my stuff was already packed so all I had to do was get dressed, make breakfast, brush my teeth, and head out the door. I wish I had more time though… the morning went by too fast. I was slowly moving around the hostel, making sure I didn’t forget anything, but mainly I was moving slowly because I didn’t really want to leave, but the clock was ticking, and I had to make my way.

I lugged my packs down the stairs with Zin and Jumi following. So many thoughts were rushing through my head. Maybe I could stay an extra week… Check out Okinawa, Hokkaido, and more of Japans’ natural sites. Jumi also said she wanted to go bungee jumping, which I was all for, but in the end, I had to move on. I put my boots on, stood up, took a deep breath, and turned to Zin and Jumi for one final goodbye. I gave Zin a hug, but Jumi wouldn’t accept the goodbye. She stayed with me, walked with me, until I hailed a cab and was gone from her sight. Needless to say, it was a sad and difficult goodbye. I kept the window rolled down until the cab driver drove off, and when he turned the corner, that was it. I was leaving Japan… for real this time…

Since I had experience with the trek to the ferry port, the trip this time was a breeze, and I made it in record time. I was at the ferry port for about 11:00am, with plenty of time to spare. Passing customs was a cinch. I got on board, put my stuff away in my room (nice room by the way, cozy and only 4 people), and went to the upper deck to check out Osaka from the port. I stayed up there for a while, listening to music, people-watching, snapping some photos, and just staring out at the sea. I felt a little alone as I watched everyone else who had at least one other person with them. Be it families, friends, or couples. I was alone again… and it was hard. The boat set sail at around 11:45pm… I was finally going to China…

I stayed on the upper deck until Osaka was lost in the haze and out of sight. Again, so many thoughts were rushing through my head. I think I’m prone to making stupid decisions when episodes like this come about, and who knows, I may still make one later on, but for now, I think I made the right one. The rest of the day was standard. I had lunch in the cafeteria, which was mind-blowingly expensive! I forgot to get some food for the ride, so I’m going to have to ration the food I get here. At least the beer is the same price, and I still have the bottle of whisky Zin had given me for the journey last week (thanks Zin!). After lunch, I was tired, most likely due to the lack of sleep from the past week. I went to my room, uploaded the photos I took to my computer, watched the new season of Entourage (it’s finally back!), and got some sleep, about 4 hours of it! When I got up, I went back outside to check out the night sky and the view. Unfortunately, it was raining, but not hard enough to keep me inside. Although the view was limited, I was treated to a nice lightning show. It wasn’t a big storm, but it was windy. I had nothing to do and nothing to eat (the cafeteria closed at 7:30pm). Luckily, there was a vending machine with some noodle bowls. So I grabbed that and a beer, and watched the end of The Fast and the Furious that was playing on TV.

And now, here I am, writing a blog post that will be posted upon my arrival at my hostel in Shanghai. I’m mixed up right now. Sad to leave Japan, Zin, and Jumi… really sad… but excited to start a new country and continue on my Journey through Asia. I’ll be meeting Marianne in Shanghai on Sunday and after that, my plans may change. I don’t think I’ll be heading to Mongolia anymore, but I may skip some things in China and go straight for the hiking trails. Maybe I’ll meet Diogo in China as well depending on when and where he’ll be arriving.

Take this post however you want, but I think this has been the deepest post I’ve written since I’ve begun my Journey. I know I’m not the best writer, but it wouldn’t be as personal if I was forcing myself to write so eloquently. I was debating putting this up because I feel it’s pretty personal. It may not have every single detail, but I’m sure you can paint the picture yourself. I noticed that my blog hits have been down lately… I went from about 250 readers a day to about 30 since last Friday. If anything, this post may rekindle the interest. Tomorrow’s another day…

Ja matta!

-LL

P.S. Matane Jumi-chan, Zin-kun, oyobi Nihon… I’m not saying sayonara… not yet…

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Maybe I Over-Hyped It…

July 7, 2009 at 4:38 pm (Japan, Kanazawa)
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Kanazawa… Much bigger than I thought it would be. In the end, it turned out to be just another big city. Before I came here, I thought it was going to be a quiet area, what with the historical Geisha districts, Samurai districts, Kanazawa Castle, and Kenroku-en Garden, Kanazawa’s most famous attraction and one of Japan’s top three gardens, but like I said, it turned out to be another metropolitan.

My first stop was the garden. It was a nice stroll, but it’s hard to appreciate the sheer beauty of it when you can hear the traffic of city not too far off, and one of the views includes a view of the city itself. I was a little disappointed considering this is supposed to be Kanazawa’s most famous attraction. I spent most of time in the garden people-watching from a sheltered area overlooking the Kasumigaike Pond, and that was enjoyable for the time it lasted. The sun was shining, the weather was hot, and the workers were busy maintaining the lush gardens.  The workers were something to watch. Several Japanese women donning the same attire, each crouched to the ground and carefully picking out weeds from the grass with nothing more but their hands and small sickles.

Next on the list was Kanazawa Castle… a big disappointment. The Castle was under construction, and therefore completely covered by tarps. Not much to see from the outside, and I didn’t feel like paying for another ticket to go see the inside. It was starting to get cloudy, so I wanted to see the outdoors stuff before (if) it started raining. In Kanazawa, there’s a saying that goes “even if you forget your lunchbox, don’t forget your umbrella”. You can’t count on the weather here; it changes without warning from good to bad in no time. Luckily, however, that wasn’t the case today.

I walked across the city over to the Geisha districts. The history was nice, but all I saw it as was a street full of tourists. No Geishas. They usually DO come out at night though, so maybe I’ll head back there tonight for some tea and dessert or something and maybe catch a show. I was going to go visit the Samurai district afterward, but only one house is open, and I imagine it wouldn’t be much different than the Geisha district.

On my way back to my Ryokan, I walked through the markets. The fish market smelled like fish. I mean, it REALLY smelled like fish. Squid, crab, tuna, etc. Most of it full sized, un-filleted, and smelly. Then I made my way through the shopping mall where I found plenty of delicious looking foods and it’s probably where I’m going to head for dinner tonight.

Maybe I’m just not visiting the right places, maybe it’s the hot sticky weather, maybe I’m tired, maybe it’s the fact that I’m doing this alone, but these sights aren’t doing it for me right now. Don’t get me wrong, Japan is an amazing country with amazing people, but I need something more. I am following an itinerary that was given out on www.japan-guide.com for Japan, and maybe that’s the problem. It’s not tailored to exactly what I want to do. China, Vietnam, Thailand, Nepal, and India were all planned by yours truly, so maybe the experience will be better. More hiking, more mountains, more rural areas, more culture. That’s what I’m after! A cultural challenge, a mental challenge, a physical challenge. It’s what I want and it’s what I hope to get from the remainder of this trip.

Anyways, short day today. I’m off to Kyoto tomorrow morning.

Ja!

-LL

P.S. To answer Matt’s question, the water turns clockwise in Japan (at least here anyways). =P

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