#121 Kyoto March 2016 Cherry Blossom

So I already visited Kyoto a few months back in September 2015. It was during Japanese public holidays so of course it was very crowded, but I figured I would probably go back again sometime before I left Japan.

In March 2016 I returned to Kyoto, in time for cherry blossom season (but too early for full bloom!). I honestly don't really get the whole sakura obsession Japan goes through, complete with sakura flavoured foods and drinks. I mean they look nice but.... I'm not going to eat a daffodil or a rose, so why would I want to eat a cherry blossom? Anyway, back to Kyoto!

Since it was cherry blossom season and a weekend, it was again pretty busy. In fact, I'm not really sure when you could visit Kyoto that it wouldn't be busy. The cherry blossoms weren’t even out yet; there was maybe like one or two trees starting to bloom wherever we went, so obviously these were very crowded. The advantage was there were tons of young women in kimono coming to take photos with their friends, so there were ample opportunities to take some sly photos of them (but if you want a photo of their faces you should always ask permission first!).

If you’re planning on coming to Japan to see cherry blossoms my recommendation is: don’t. It’s hard to plan for (unless you’re planning on coming for a month) and will ultimately lead to disappointment if there’s only one tree in bloom by the time you leave, or all the leaves are blowing off. If you insist on coming I would definitely recommend the JR Pass. The unlimited travel included in the price means you can travel further for free, for example if the only ones blooming are far North or South, as these could be otherwise very expensive to get to.

As for the season and timing, it was bad since the cherry blossoms weren’t really blooming and most of the other vegetation was also still kinda dead. Especially at Kiyomizu dera (the big temple on the hill) the surrounding trees and nature below looked brown and awful in comparison to when I visited in September. The weather was also very changeable, one minute hot and the next cold which meant we were constantly taking on and off our jackets. I think skipping the cherry blossom crowds and coming later in around April/May would be better, as the weather’s usually quite warm and there is more vegetation. (However if you’re coming in May beware of Golden Week, the biggest public holiday in Japan held start of May).

Again the public transport was annoying...especially on weekends and during rush hour on weekdays you’ll find yourself standing on a crowded bus stuck in stationary traffic. The bus route from Kinkakuji (the gold temple) is probably the worst as it’s often very busy and takes a long time in traffic to get to the station. Also, the area of Arashiyama (the bamboo forest) is awkward to access, it means getting a long subway and then walking for around 15mins (there is also some kind of bus option – but in my experience the buses always run late so avoid if possible, which in Kyoto is difficult). Despite the somewhat inconvenient public transport, taxis in Japan are very expensive and I wouldn’t recommend one either. My best advice is to allow plenty of time and just laugh at the experience of being wedged in public transport in Japan. Other than that there are some bicycle rentals which could be useful as long as it’s not too hot or too cold.

I also took another day trip to Nara and the deer park. I noticed this time that the train from Kyoto to Nara passes through Uji, which is famous around Japan for its green tea, so I’m sure there are some things to do around there too. The direct train is very convenient, but Nara Park is about 20min walk from the station when you arrive so it would probably not be a great rainy day activity. The deer park was just as magical this time as it was last time, and this time I brought a selfie stick too for that perfect deer photo!

Overall, I still think Kyoto is a worthwhile place to visit. There are many old, odd and interesting things scattered around Japan, but Kyoto has a lot of them all in one small area, which can’t be beat.

#109 Kyoto, Japan

Recently I went on a trip to Kyoto. I was travelling during a big Japanese holiday, which made a lot of things difficult. Obviously I would highly recommend against this - however it was my only time off work so I had no choice but to go then. I still had a good time, but I would strongly advise you to check the Japanese calendar before you plan a trip, as it is very busy, and trying to get photos or linger in one place is tricky surrounded by crowds (but still very safe, as always).


Getting There
Since I'm already in Japan, this involved me hopping on a shinkansen (bullet train). It was my first time on it (although I had lived in Tokyo for 4 months before) so it was an exciting day!

Big stops like Kyoto, Tokyo, Osaka will have trains that always stop, but the faster trains will skip many smaller stations, so always be sure to check that the train will stop at the station you want before you board.
Kyoto is only 30mins from Osaka by local train so that could be a good location to fly to. While it's easy and quick to get from Tokyo, the bullet train tickets are pretty expensive, at least 10,000yen each way (about €200 round trip). I would also caution people travelling during high season - reserved seats will sell out in advance, and with unreserved seating you could end up standing for 2 hours on a train that cost you €100....



Baggage Storage
Yes, I am giving this it's own heading. Kyoto Station has both lockers and a baggage storage room. Now, there are only a limited number of large lockers that fit big suitcases, and these can be difficult to find and sometimes can be full. Since we stayed in an AirBnB we had no option of leaving our bags and coming back later in the evening, and the lockers were all full, but we did get into baggage storage just in time (they were also full shortly after us). You cannot travel around Kyoto with a suitcase, so please be aware of the storage situation!!


Accommodation
While Kyoto is a big place, it doesn't have the selection of cheap hostels that Tokyo has. There are times when everywhere will book out (check Japanese holidays) and you can bet on the cheapest/highest rated accommodation being booked out on most weekends. I would recommend booking ahead, websites like HostelWorld take only a small 10% deposit so there should be no excuse! We had to use AirBnB because everywhere was sold out, and had a good experience, but I personally would always prefer a hostel.



Sights
Thankfully, most sights were actually free. This includes the treetop KiyoMizu Dera temple and the red gates of Fujimi Inari. The Ginko golden temple you had to pay for, and although it is one of the classic images of Japan I basically just took a photo and left...not so exciting, but one of those things you just have to do I guess.
When we went to Gion it was too busy with crowds to really the street, but we did catch a quick glimpse of a maiko walking down a side street. I could say similar about the Arashiyama bamboo grove...it was too full of people to get a good photo, and also it was disappointing anyway, very small (I think I have more bamboo in my back garden).

#108 AirBnB in Japan

I recently went on a trip to Kyoto and Osaka. It was a Japanese public holiday, and everything booked up quite quickly. With no hostels available, or hotels in our price range, we ventured onto AirBnB.

If you don't know, it's basically an app where you can stay at a persons house. It's usually much cheaper than a hotel or even a hostel, especially if you have a group of 4 or 6. You even can find some unique places, but it all depends on the situation.

So I had downloaded the app and browsed through it before. Cheap prices and quirky locations sounded very tempting. But the thought of actually turning up to a strangers house, and just hoping for the best that it was like the photos, sounded a little scary. However, with no other options available, it was time to take a chance!

I was honestly very nervous about the whole thing (the added language barrier didn't help), and as I had suggested it, if it were to go horribly wrong I would have other people to answer to. The good news is, it was a great success! With a group of 6 of us, it was much cheaper than if we had gone to a hostel, and we had the places to ourselves. Both places were perfectly clean, and I had no complaints (and I do like to complain!).

My biggest recommendation for using AirBnB is to book somewhere which already has a lot of reviews. This is probably the best way for you to decide if the place is actually as listed and therefore a good choice. (I actually accidentally booked a place with no reviews, which really worried me as it is definitely not something I would purposely do, and although it was fine it really isn't worth the risk!)

You pay through the website so if anything does go wrong you can get a refund - it's just the being temporarily homeless thing would be the issue....

Some of the downsides; it was a hassle to be there at the allotted times to be shown around/given the key. We (as a group) had all agreed on times - but when it came down to it we were an hour early for the first place and had to wait outside, and the second place I had to check in by myself because everyone else went for dinner. Not ideal. The freedom of a hotel or hostel is much more advantageous, but I'm sure with some places they leave the key for you under a mat or in the postbox.

As we were a relatively big group having only one key was a bit tricky, we were trying to guess who would be home first, or if we should leave the door open if someone was coming home late and we wanted to sleep. Maybe some places have more than one key though..

Also, don't expect for everything to be exactly as listed. I was so relieved that it wasn't a scam and the houses were in good condition that I didn't care about anything else, but other members of the group were concerned about the wifi information or the "hot tub" they had listed (presumably a bath?). Although if they list it it should be there, it's not a hotel and you're not paying hotel prices. If it's a nice place for a good nights sleep, try not to stress over minor details.

Overall, I would like to stress that point. It's not a hotel, and you're (probably) paying far less than the hotel going rate. So you can't expect hotel service and hotel quality, and to do so would be foolish. If you want hotel quality, book a hotel. But if you want to take a chance, keep an open mind and try something new, then this is a good option for you.


Would I use it again? Honestly, not unless I had to. Although my experience this time was overwhelmingly good, I feel like the casual nature of it will always make me apprehensive, and the fear that if something goes wrong then I'm on the street or paying high rates for a last minute hotel is just too great.
But if everywhere else is booked up, or the prices are looking a little high, I'd definitely venture back on and see what I can find.

#106 One week to Japan

Well, it's actually five days until I depart Ireland, but my first official day there is next Monday.

Here's where I'm at;

Packing
I just finished packing today, after a few trial runs last week. Basically, I threw in the clothes and stuff I wanted to bring and weighed the cases to see roughly how much space I had. I actually had quite a few kg left in each case which was a great surprise, so I gathered more clothes to put in. Earlier today I packed the cases again and the weight is perfect, happy days! Packing four days in advance basically means I can sleep easily for my last few days in Ireland, and spend it hanging out with family and friends instead of panicking and stressing about it the day before.


Flight details
We're flying Dublin - London, then London - Tokyo with British Airways. They have one free 23kg check in bag, carry on hand luggage and then also a handbag or briefcase. I think 23kg check in is a tiny allowance for moving around the world for a year, but thankfully they only charge €75 for another 23kg bag, so I've got 46kg total, plus a carry on bag and a handbag.

As an interesting side, you can check out what the onboard movies, tv shows etc will be on your flight on your airlines website before you travel (I think most airlines do this). For BA, it's here: http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/information/entertainment/in-flight-entertainment

Hamamatsu, Shizuoka

Excited to announce this is the exact place I'm going! It's a city of about 800k people, situated on the bullet train line and halfway between Tokyo and Kyoto, about 1hr 30mins from each. The bullet train is expensive, and I can get a bus to Tokyo for much less but it takes like 4-5 hours. Overall, Hamamatsu seems to be a good location for travelling easily around Japan.

Tying up loose ends

There are things to do before leaving your home for any length of time. I decided to get my laptop fixed - it's been overheating and I felt it was easier to get it sorted before I go. I threw out a lot of clothes I hadn't worn in the past year or so (well, gave them to charity shops). I cleaned my room! I'm meeting up with some old friends this week. I guess it just depends on the person what needs to be done.