During my short stint in Japan I learned very quickly what many before me have also hopefully learned.


1. Budget: Your budget doesn't dictate the amount of fun you have on your trip, it does however dictate, how you have fun on your trip. Take Japan for instance, Tokyo, Japan is rated the second most expensive city in the world for travelers, and yes to sit down at a sushi restaurant in the heart of Tokyo could easily cost you upwards of $70 a head. However to truly experience Japan why follow the line of locals to the popular ramen houses of the city and enjoy a daily set menu for around $20 a person. Let's put in on a metaphorical scale, $60 for a small amount of sushi and being surrounded by westerners, ( I can get that here), or $20 for local food cooked by a local, while being surrounded by locals. I'm pretty when I travel it's to experience the country and culture, now that's worth the $20. 


2. Language: When in a foreign country, learning a few key phrases is crucial to making your trip a success, I hate to break it to you but english, much like Visa is not really accepted everywhere. Learning to communicate in another language not only makes your trip much easier, but it shows the locals you are not another ignorant "westerner" and they are usually much more willing to help you. Besides I would rather attempt a language, and laugh at my mistakes then thinking if I speak louder and slower but still in english they will miraculously understand! It just doesn't work.


3. Itineraries: Throw them out the window, perfect now go see the sights. I'm not saying go in blind and hope to find something interesting, but don't watch the mountain peak all day and miss the beauty of the climb. Every day pick one or two things you just have to see but take your time getting there and enjoy everything along the way. Perhaps ask some locals their favorite areas of the city or where they like to go on their weekends off. You may stumble upon a gem not included in your travel guide. It's cliche but "it's the journey, not the destination".


4. Luggage: Throw it out your window too, I'm kidding however be very selective with what you bring. If you are like most you will end up bringing things that will never see the light of day, and when you're carrying a bag on your back it feels like little gnomes are putting rocks in it every night while you sleep to make it heavier for you the next morning. Pack light, do laundry abroad if you have to, this company http://tiny.cc/xr2noweeblylink_new_window makes underwear that boasts "17 countries, 6 weeks and one pair of underwear". Take a look at Rolf Potts, and his challenge of traveling around the word with no luggage. His site can be found here, http://www.rtwblog.com/weeblylink_new_window 


I hope this helps you long the way, travel and explore the world out there, it's a wonderful place, full of amazing people.


-.

Well folks it has come down to this, I have exactly $20 left of my $600 budget, to which I have been very dedicated in upholding, and in doing so I never once went too hungry... So anyways, there I was $20 to my name and about half a day to kill so I did what any self respecting man in his 20's would do, I went to the arcade!


Now Japanese arcades are quite different from what we are used to, the first 3 floors (there are about 7 in total) are dedicated to UFO catchers or as we know them, the dreaded crane games! However in Japan the crane game is quite different, different how you ask, well for one you can actually win at it. I spent a good hour just walking around watching other people win toys, and blanket and lots of other paraphernalia, I dissected how they chose their machines and what prizes to go after and with this new information in hand I took my last 2000yen bill and fed it into the change machine, I scooped out 20 100yen coins and began looking for my target. I found a nice machine in center stage and chose my victim, I slid 200yen into the coin slot (200yen a play, 2000yen total budget left, good odds I hope) and began to maneuver the crane over the prize of my choice. By this time a small crowd had gathered to watch the westerner try his luck in a Japanese arcade, the crane descended and opened its flimsy claws, but still I was confident, my hands were sweating like a white man during the stock market crash (yea yea). I knew that if I had dissected the game correctly I was almost assured a prize, and to my amazement the claws hooked onto a bow and swung it over the prize chute, I was a winner! At that point, from out of nowhere about 5 staff members jumped out with tambourines and started chanting, it was an amazing experience (apparently they do this if they see anyone win, but still it was cool) so far I was 1:1, pretty good if I say so myself. I continued to walk around the arcade choosing my machines wisely, at this point I had gathered a small following, all in all I had some very close calls, missing the chute by an inch or two, but still i came away winning 4 out of 10 times, pretty stoked for a first timer. I decided to pay it forward and I gave most of my prizes away to some children running around the arcade, I figure I have no real use for them I just wanted to blow $20 how I wanted to.


Now that my pockets where officially empty, and I mean very, very empty, I said my goodbyes to my new found friends, an amazing city and an even more amazing country, Japan has been a blast, there is still so much I didn't get the chance to do or see, I cant wait to come back and next time I'm bringing a bank role just for the arcades. thank you Japan for a wonderful experience. I will never forget this day.


Hajimemashite and Sayonara

-.

Well my time in Japan is just about finished, and what a hell of a ride it has been! I have seen so much but only scratched the surface of this beautiful country. This has been a wonderful experience, please let me digress into some of my observations.


1. In Japan you truly are a foreigner, landing in Japan I immediately knew I wasn't in Kansas anymore, surrounded by people speaking a different language, signs that looked like someone had used windings as their type face and a culture that was very, very different from ours. In Canada although you may be part of the minority or the majority there are still many outlets where you can enjoy your culture and be surrounded by others from your country. In Japan the minority is a very very small population, and most of them consist of tourists. Now all this being said I do not want any of this to come off negatively, the Japanese are some of the politest people I have met, perhaps this is because I somewhat understand their culture and blended in as best I could. (an aside, their cyclists are the most dangerous thing on the road, they will run you down so look out) I was always met with kindness and patience, their business culture may be strict and demanding but the Japanese are a culture full of laughter and joy, I truly recommend a visit to anyone who can find the time to do so.


2. FOOD, wow AH-Mazing! More choices than you could ever deal with. Yes Japan can be expensive to have a sit down meal, but there are many budget choices available for the weary traveler. At the local 7/11 or Family mart you can find bento boxes prepared daily, rice balls, and cup noodles all ranging from 100yen to 500yen. The local noodle shop will provide you with fresh hot noodles or set courses for around 700yen and you sit down restaurants will start around 1500yen and move upwards drastically. Perhaps my favorite is the large number of street vendors in the markets selling all different types of food and drink, octopus balls, 10 different types of tempura, sesame balls filled with red bean paste and so many more. French bakeries! They are everywhere, and everything inside is freshly baked daily, the smells coming from these bakeries is just mouth watering, I managed to avoid them and thank god for I fear it would of been like jumping into the deep end of a pool filled with croissants and buns, Om NOM NOM. Tip: Tipping in Japan, tipping in Japan is non existent, in fact it is viewed as an insult to leave extra money, so the price is the price, that's a serious win for tight budgets.


3. Transpiration. Ummm Busy but probably the best in the world, and affordable.


4. cleanliness. Japan is the cleanest country I have ever seen, in the city core, there is absolutely no garbage anywhere on the ground, it is probably clean enough to eat off of, not that I dropped a piece of chicken and picked it up again to continue eating it.... uh anyways, outside the core you may find a cigaret but or two along the sides of the street but nothing like what you can see in Toronto or NewYork.


Thats really all I have for now, but don't worry there will be more, I have arrived at the airport 12hrs early because I'm a superstar and didn't check to see if my flight time had changed. Amazing right?


-.

Today was very humbling, my afternoon was spent in the Hiroshima atomic bomb museum, where I walked from exhibit to exhibit in awe at the horror and destruction caused by the blast. When I first exited the train I could immediately feel the difference of the city, there was old pain here. 


I walked through peace park and viewed the many memorials for those who died from the blast, I toured the museum and read articles about the horrific day, I saw clothing and bottles that were located on the edge of the blast radius, and I stared in disbelief at one of the only building to survive the blast, a dome that the city has preserved to look just as it did after the dust settled. 


Hearing and learning about Hiroshima at home is depressing, but being here and walking ground zero, seeing the pictures and listening to recorded stories of survivors, takes this experience to an entirely new level. Every mayor of Hiroshima since the bomb dropped has sent a letter to any country that has tested a nuclear warhead, to please cease a desist all nuclear war fare so the horrors or Hiroshima and Nagasaki will never be repeated, these letters cover 2 pillars within the museum, not one has ever received a response.


The bombs destructive force is still being felt today as survivors and their children are suffering from the effects of radiation poisoning, this is truly not acceptable, I hope something like this never happens again.


-. 

After polishing off a wonderful breakfast served by the ryokan I was staying at in Kyoto, I went through my usual routine and packed my beg, said my goodbyes and headed for the train station. Todays destination would be the city of Nara, once the capital of Japan, (seems like every town was once the capital) Nara is located south of Kyoto near the coast, this means higher humidity but also the occasional breeze, and thank god for that.


Arriving in Nara I walked the streets, browsing sights and shops, I wandered into a Japanese arcade and was immediately suffering from sensory overload, the lights and bells and screams was all too much for me, I couldn't stay long, so I snapped a few quick pictures and continued on my way towards Nara park.


If you only have one day in Nara, then Nara park would be the place to go, it's a once stop shop for all the temples and shrines you could ask for, it also claims home to the second largest Buddha in all of Japan. The main temple was located high up on a mountain side which I reluctantly climbed, my legs haven't been recovering as fast as they did the first week of the trip, but as usual it was well worth it. The view from the temple's balcony was amazing, the entire city was visible from the benches outside the main shrine, to which I gladly used to take a nice rest and soak in the view.


On the way down from the temple I noticed that there was something foul in the state of Denmark (name the reference if you can) I could of sworn it was the smell of animals, but where would it be coming from, and then to my shock a herd of 15 deer walked right by me! It turned out that Nara has a huge deer enclosure that isn't in fact enclosed at all, allowing the deer to roam freely through the streets. I quickly bought some deer treats from a street stall I found and I immediately felt like Noah, well if not Noah than at least Dr Doolittle, With the amount of deer following me around and rubbing against my legs it was quite the sight.


Im spending the evening in tonight, and for real this time too. I found Japanese baseball on the television in the common room and I'm not moving until the game is over. Tomorrow I'm making my way down to Hiroshima, to see peace park and the memorial center, should be a very educational day.


Oh by the way, do you suffer from lightning farts?

So for those who have been following along yesterday I said I was turning in early to get a nice full day out of Kyoto, well that didn't go as planned. Not being able to fall asleep because of Starovs' snoring, and Im beginning to think that is not in fact his name because every time I use it her gives me a look, but anyways he snores and its loud, so I borrowed one of the hostels bikes and took it for a ride into downtown Kyoto.


Now the bike I borrowed was probably made for a 13yr old Japanese girl, and not a tall westerner but it worked and I named it Mr. Tanaka. Downtown Kyoto is a pretty happening place at night, Mr. Tanaka and I rode up and down the streets, looking in amazement at over 300 restaurants all boasting food from around the world, packed into an area no bigger than half a city block, how these shops stay in business is beyond me. After enjoying the sights and smells of the restaurants I took a seat by the river and watched a traditional dance put on by the local school and listened to the music of the street performers. It was a great way to end a busy day, just losing yourself in the moment and enjoying the little things.


This morning I actually slept in until about 8:30 before I woke up and went on my way, feeling the temperature already starting to rise and my legs a little sore from the night ride, I bit the cost of a bus pass and enjoyed the nice air conditioned Kyoto buses as I rode around town from shrine to temple to garden. My lonely Planet guide book was right, Kyoto truly is the culture mecca of Japan. I saw a golden Pagoda which I took a nice HDR photo of and posted on my flikr account, http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulschembri/weeblylink_new_window . Now that most of you are convinced that Japan is a must on your list of destinations make sure to include at least 2/3 days in Kyoto, you won't be disappointed.


Tiring from all the sights I turned in to my Ryokan for the evening, it is the best one yet, with a full traditional Kyoto dinner included with the room I was served dinner in my room which included 4 courses of soup, salad, grilled fish and sashimi. Now perhaps it is because I haven't had a decent meal all week but it tasted incredible. After dinner was whisked away I was told politely to go bathe, heh I guess they were telling me I was smelly. Once I returned feeling completely refreshed after a nice soak in their onsen I saw that the table in my room had been pushed aside and my futon bed laid out for me, perfect or what! Not yet ready for bed I took to the town once more looking for the lights of the local Family Mart, where I splurged once again a bought myself an ice cream sandwich and damn was it good, soft vanilla ice cream wrapped in a layer of chocolate and then incased in a waffle shell, wow wow wow, heaven. With a full stomach and dessert taken care of I'm ready for a nice sleep. Tomorrow I'm off to a town called Nara, to see what adventures it has in store. 


"Get busy living, or get busy dying" - Stephen King


-.

Yesterday was my last day in the Tokyo area for at least the next 4 or 5 days, This morning I took a 3hour train ride down to the cultural capital of Japan, Kyoto. Boasting the nicest temples and gardens it was a must see.


Like every other day thus far the first thing I do is find my lodgings for the night, drop off my bags and then go explore the city. However today that was easier said than done, I spent close to 4 hours roaming the back streets of Kyoto looking for the Japanese hotel that no one has heard of. Please for a moment let me stress to you the severity of this problem, with temperatures ranging in the high 30's, walking up and down random streets with signs that might as well of been written in hieroglyphics, with a bag that seems to be getting heavier daily is not my idea of a good time. After asking probably the hundredth person if they had any idea where the ryokan is located I was at my wits end, I sat down on a bench and had just decided that I was going to be spending the night in Kyoto train station when (and I couldn't make this up if I tried) there staring me in the face was a tiny sign, no bigger than an envelope, and on said sign it read the name of my ryokan, I was so happy I almost started to cry, well not really but I was pretty stoked. Finally I could drop off the bag of rocks I had been lugging around and go exploring.


I made my way up a small path, lined with shops that filled their shelves with the most amazing goods, ranging form masks and swords to sake sets and interesting dolls, In my head I had chosen something for everyone I know, sadly with another 6 days left on this adventure I was worried that they would break in my bag. Sorry guys :(. I tore myself away from the shops and continued up the path to Ginkakuji Temple and was a little disappointed at the entrance when I saw that admittance was 500yen, yes you are all correct, 500yen is just a little more than $5, however you must realize my daily allowance for food was about 600yen, so you could see my dilemma. After some mental deliberation I swallowed the cost and was allowed inside, and thank god I did. At this point I had become a little tired of all the shrines and temples, for after seeing a dozen or so, they all begin to look quite alike. Ginkakuji however was an exception, the surrounding zen garden was the most serene yet, and the temple itself was positioned in the mountain side giving an amazing view over Kyoto. I left the temple forgetting all about the morning ordeal and feeling much calmer, on the way out I lit some incense and waved the smoke over me and decided to call it a day.


On my way back to the ryokan I navigated the streets like a pro, I damn well should of seen as I had walked them all morning, I stopped at the local Family Mart (my heaven btw) and bought a new flavor of rice ball I hadn't had before. I will call this flavor purple because that is all I could make out from the wrapping, but believe you me, the purple rice ball is almost as good as the pink one, and the pink one is pretty damn good! Anyways once I got back to the ryokan I met a guy from Greece named Stavros, I couldn't help but chuckle, he said I was the first westerner he had seen in 3 weeks, guess that makes me a celebrity in Kyoto. Stavros seems like an alright dude he just offered me some almonds and an orange, gotta love the Greeks? 


Im calling it an early night, that way tomorrow I can attack the city by storm, its about 10km across and I plan to walk it instead of taking transit so I will need my rest. Thank you everyone who has been following along at home, seeing the amount of page hits I get grow daily gives me the insurance needed to continue writing. I love logging on at the end of the day and reading the comments you have left, it keeps me connected with friends and family, be seeing you all very soon.


-. 

I know, I know, it's shocking but yes I Paul Schembri spent the day on a beach. I figured I owed myself a relaxing day after the mountain climb the day before. I woke up earlier than ever and took the hour long train ride out to Kamakura and ventured down to the beach. Now because it's a monday, everyone is at work and the kids have been back in school for a few weeks now, so I pretty much had the entire beach to myself, amazing right?


When I saw the water the zipper on my pant........ legs (relax guys its PG13) was undone so fast that before you knew it I was thigh deep in the ocean, bag strapped high on my back and shoes tied around the straps, wadding and jumping the waves, I felt just amazing. I walked the length of the beach and took in the sights, I found a nice spot and lay out to enjoy the afternoon. I spent most the time reading my book "Delivering Happiness" and dozing off under the sun. 


Figuring it time to head back to the city I stopped at the local family mart and grabbed some different flavored rice balls and jumped on the next train back to Tokyo station. I spent most of the evening walking up and down the streets of Tokyo's fashion district, looking in the windows of gucci, prada and tiffany's. I had gotten bored of all the lights and people so I took a turn down an alley, err I mean a very busy street with lots of police officers, yea umm exactly. Anyways It just so happened that this alle- busy street :) popped me out right in front of the Imperial Palace. Wow what a sight, the gardens and the gates and the trees, It was breathtaking. Now the Palace is closed to outsiders I understand why, but the outer gardens and walkways were open and they were just stunning, every tree had been shaped to perfection. I took some time and spoke with an old man in the park, he told me stories of old Tokyo and the differences in our cultures, he told me english is a beautiful language and thanked me for my time. These small encounters really are making this trip perfect.


Im spending the night is a capsule hotel located in Asakusa they are not as small as I had thought so not to be worried my feet don't hang out the end, until tomorrow then.


-.

It took 3 trains and about just as many hours to get to the city of Nikko, located outside of Tokyo this city is one you must see. At first I made a wrong turn outside of the train station and ended up in a small neighborhood, fortune favors the brave I guess because not only did I see a youth baseball game, who I might add are very very good, but I stumbled upon a man in his garden where I saw the most breathtaking bonsai trees. I politely asked him if I could look and he graciously let me walk around his garden. It was like nothing you have ever seen before, some of these trees must have been passed down through at least 4 generations. With my jaw dragging over the stones I thanked him and turned back to find the inn I would be staying at so that I could drop off my bags.


After orienting myself with the town, I spent the rest of the day climbing a mountain that is peppered with waterfalls ranging in heights and veraciousness. During the 3 hour trek to the mountains peak I had plenty opportunity to rest and enjoy the ancient temples and pagodas that act as landmarks for the hikers. I must say they views were breathtaking and the hike was perfect, except however on the way down the light drizzle that had accompanied me the entire day turned into a full scale thunder storm. I hurried back to the inn as fast as possible where I was greated by the inn keeper who had a nice hot cup of jasmine tea waiting for me, her and I attempted a small conversation but with her broken english and my very rough japanese we ended up laughing a lot and just enjoying the tea.


I do have some bad news and mom I'm sorry. This is one of Japans hottest summers ever, I have spent every day drenched in sweat from the smallest activities, now I have been good in keeping hydrated but it seems as though during the hike today, the sun was able to attack my neck through the clouds, therefor leaving me with quite the sunburn. oops. :(


I'll be spending the early even in bed today, my legs are exhausted and the aloe I was given from the inn keepers garden is helping my neck. I figure I will take a short nap and then go out tonight to look at the stars, Finally being away from the lights of Tokyo has me hoping the sky's will be clear.


“The secret of happiness is freedom. The secret of freedom is courage.”
-Thucydides


-.

Once again I've woken up way too early for my own good, hrm I wonder what's good to do at 6am in Japan? Only one way to find out I guess, I slung my bag on my back and started walking, just walking. Up and down the street I marched, soaking in the sights, watching the stores open and their owners mop the cobblestone in front of their shops. Protein bar in hand I wandered through the streets finding the odd temple tucked away behind a huge sky rise, the mix of old culture and new technology seemed like a battle of wills, one fighting to hold on while the other claims more and more real estate. I decided to make my way towards a town called Asakusa, it once boasted the title "Capital of Tokyo" but that has long been moved to a more central region, closer to the flashing lights and busy streets. I mentally prepared myself for the half hour walk and armed myself with the phrase "ohiyo goziamas" (Good morning) and I was underway.




Arriving in Asakusa something felt different, the streets where busier than I expected and I soon realized why. I had somehow managed to plan my trip to Asakusa right inline with their annual culture festival! This was perfect, I spent the morning exploring temples and gardens, made a stop for an amazing slushy, I have no idea what flavor it was but I pointed towards a blue sign that looked like a salt shaker and was pleasantly surprised with the result. After I had cooled down a bit I continued my walk and an old man approached me and began talking to me in very good english, he told stories of old Japan and its current struggle of old vs. new. Telling me how a lot of Japanese are very shy and I should attempt to talk to more of them because they are very curious about western culture, after what was probably a good hour and a half we parted ways and I continued my wandering. I decided to stop and grab some lunch and who ever said Japan is expensive is very much mistaken. I grabbed a cup of noodles and an Asahi for under $4, a meal fit for a king if you ask me!


A little while later after I had already checked into the hostel I would be calling home that night I went for a walk towards the Asahi brewery and to my luck they where having their annual beer feast, man its been a good day. I must be approachable today because an elderly lady sat beside me and asked if I spoke English. Turns out she is a language teacher at a private school so her and I talked for quite awhile while watching live bands perform on a small stage overlooking a lake. She asked me to please explain the difference between "trash" and "garbage" its not easy to do over the noise of the bands but I tried, I made things even worse for myself when she asked me to tell her a current joke phrase used by people my age that she could tell her students. So picture this if you will, sitting on stone steps watching live bands while overlooking a lake and the Asahi brewery in the backdrop all while trying to explain when you can use the phrase "thats what she said" haha Ah-Mazing!


Turning my attention to the bands I must admit that they were quite good. The fist few were groups playing parlor songs, their female vocalists sounded amazing and there was no trace of an accent as they seamlessly belted out Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, now I don’t want to make reference to Karaoke clubs here but they are obviously doing something right. The next was a young punk band, complete with long hair, behind the back guitar solos, and around the neck guitar swings. They were followed by a latin band who played exclusively Carlos Santana and although it may be bold to say so, sounded exactly like the man. The final band of the night was a big brass rock band who sounded like they and wrote every soundtrack for Tarentinos movies. They were complete with pinstripe suits, big sun glasses and flashy dress shirts. This truly is an experience that can not be explained with words alone, I truly am a lucky person, I never would of imagined this is what I would be doing in Japan. 


Now I am sitting on the roof of the hostel drinking sake with the owner and practicing my Japanese,