Temples in the Morning, Bars at Night
Jul. 25th, 2010 02:19 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foolish_m0rtalOh god, screw the Strokes and their "why not try it all?" I am SO TIRED.
I went to Kamakura today in the morning, which was BEAUTIFUL, but I think if I went again, I would do it differently. If any of you go to Japan, definitely go to Kamakura- it has a lot of shrines and an old Japanese town feel about it. BUT! Get off at Kita Kamakura and go down the road (seriously, there are no random exits. There is ONE exit. Kamakura train stations are so cute- small and open with just two raised platforms and rails. You even have to cross the tracks to catch the train going the other way. The only way I know it's JR is the strangely jarring ticket gates at the entrance)
Continue along this road to Kamakura. On the way you will see a lot of temples, some of which are just a steep set of steps cut into the wall along the pedestrian walkway and you don't know they're temples till you get to the top- I DEFINITELY recommend Jochi-ji, which might be more recognisable because it has a little courtyard with flowers before you get to the steep steps. It is BEAUTIFUL and so many different flowers. There are less people here, which I like a lot, and there are a whole bunch of winding steps going into the forest where you can find many old tombstones. OH, it's magic.
I also went to Enno-ji, which is...ok-ay, but not worth 200Y. I found it very homey because it houses the statues of the judges of hell, along with supreme Enma. (Or as a grandmother was explaining to her little grandchild, "Enma-sama." Said little girl looked pretty freaked) Enma used to be Yama, the Indian god of death, so the temple is strangely Indian. It even SMELLS Indian, which is really strange but comforting. But it is very small and there's nothing much there besides the statues.
Then go down the road a bit before Kencho-ji and have the soba Lonely Planet recommends at Chaya-Kado (茶屋かど） and some classic Kamakura violet sweet potato ice cream. (it is delicious! I'm going to try making it at home!) I got natto soba at the restaurant and there was this old man in a tiny matchbox shop (no kidding, probably as wide as the span of my arms. I could have hugged it. After eating some of that ice cream, I almost did) who somehow produced an array of ice creams from the secret depths of his shop (it's a TARDIS!).
Then you'll be quite close to Kamakura after visiting the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu to the left and you WILL be very close to Kamakura station after walking down the tree-lined road leading away from the temples (they build this in the middle of two roads, so it also serves as a divider. XD I love the Japanese. It's really jarring being in the middle of a city and then stepping into the divider and suddenly being in a forest.)
So then go to the station (I spent half an hour trying to find the tourist office. Fuck the tourist office- you're probably better off!) and catch the Enoden line (I lost my last handkerchief here. It was my father's. I'm gonna die) down to Hase. The Enoden electric local train is officially my favourite train line in Japan. Picture the roads going through your neighbourhood. Now picture a train going down there instead- this is the Enoden line! It winds around the sleepy old back alleys of Kamakura, and I swear if some of the houses were a centimeter closer they would get snapped off.
So take this train down to Hase and go away from the train station to see the Daibutsu (giant Buddha) at the end of the road. Turn around, go back towards the train station. Ride the Enoden down to the end and then back to Kamakura, where you can catch the JR line back to where you came from! Brilliant and efficient! Not what I did the first time, so I lost some money doubling back to Kita-Kamakura (I got off at Kamakura instead)
Note that many places close at 5PM, so make sure to get a head start if you want to see freaking everything.
So I'm a stingy bastard, so I said, hey. If I have to spend all this money going back, why not get off at some of the stops along the way? So I got off at Yokohama, which is so...different from Tokyo. It's like a chilled-out Tokyo. Same tall buildings and traffic and loads of people, but...different. Perhaps because it overlooks the sea.
I went to a large shopping complex that is completely roofless. (well, not the shops, obviously) It has balconies that overlook the ocean, and you can sit outside and eat. It's great! The other restaurants were really expensive, so I ended up having American-ish (tuna and avocado sandwich?) food for the first time in 2 months. It was not appetizing. Apparently I have lost ALL taste for American food (whereas before it was MOST taste). What am I going to do when I go back to college? Right, and P.S. I have lost most of the weight I gained at college. It makes me mad that I have to go back to that and probably gain it back again, like what happened last year. Arg.
Then it was getting dark and I was really tired and wanted a drink (I'm going to be so screwed when I get to the U.S. because I'll be in the habit of having a beer now and then, and that won't fly. I like how I have the opportunity to drink over here and I choose not to), so I finally manned up (so to speak) and visited the Advocates Cafe I'd wanted to go to for the longest time in the middle of Shinjuku's gay district. Most places are more directed towards men (who are all beautiful of course- DAMN you, Japanese men! With your perfect looks and your suits and your...waistcoats...that I cannot resist...)
I got kind of lost along the way, but finally found it and actually ended up talking to a bunch of people because I struck up a conversation with Rodrigo, who apparently knows every gay in the world (seriously. He introduced me to his friend Went, who introduced me to their mutual friend and was like, "This is Markl. We met in Berlin a long time ago." WTF?) was really nice and introduced me to all his friends.
There weren't many women there, and the Japanese ones that were seemed...a bit empty-headed? One of the guys in my house was talking about how he wasn't impressed with Japanese women because they're beautiful (Oh GOD, they're BEAUTIFUL) but that's all they are. They're...robots, he said. I see some truth to this, but I also know the women in my school, and they seem alright. Then again, there are not many women in my school either. There were a lot of foreign women there, though. They seemed nice, but I didn't really talk to them since I didn't know how to introduce myself. Apparently all the Glee Club's lessons to me on how to pick up chicks were all for naught. (this is one of the reasons I adore the Glee Club)
But I ended up hanging out there for about two hours, which was surprising because I'd expected I would just be nursing a lonely beer by myself for half an hour before leaving. The bar is very small, so it definitely becomes a block party with people hanging out on the pavement. Rodrigo asked me when I was leaving Japan and said he hoped to see me next weekend before doing his regular air-kisses and hug of death regimen. (Agh, my back curved into a perfect C and popped when he hugged me. He said he learned it in a masseuse place in Thailand. YOU GUYS)
But then I looked at my watch and had a heart attack, because it was 11:10, and the trains stop at midnight, and I had to get to SAITAMA from Tokyo, and I had to get to the train station by subway first! So I went through the gay district on the way back to the station, which Markl helpfully gave me directions to. The district is very lively! I've of course been to homogeneously concentrated places like Chinatown or Thaitown, but I'd never been to one for LGBT people. It was really cool, and I enjoyed feeling very mm...free, I guess? Or maybe I didn't realise I felt confined till I wasn't. Again like with drinking, it's nice to have the opportunity to say, openly have a girlfriend even though I choose not to. It's a pity I find most women silly, no offence/ getting close to people is kind of distasteful for me (that's the winner!).
There are some more bars and regular shops and a whole bunch of people, SO many people! Guys walking around holding hands (Pretty guys! Damn you!) , really decorated cross dressers in Gagaesque style, just regular Japanese people hanging out and drinking. And there are...posters. With guys...for um, rent. I did not inquire. (More pretty guys! Damn you to Pretty Guy hell!)
Speaking of regular people, Japanese gays seem to be just very relaxed and comfortable with themselves, not really conforming to a certain stereotype. I like this a lot, I feel like in America a lot of times communities will judge a person as 'not gay enough' as if there's some requirements you have to fulfill. It's not like that here- I really felt a difference between American and Japanese men at the bar.
Right, back to the whole 'Trains Stop at Midnight, You Have to Sleep At the Station You Moron,' saga. So I ran down to the subway and managed to catch the ridiculously packed Saikyo line to Omiya (I spent half an hour with this guy's shoulder blade digging into my sternum. Bone molestation?), meaning it would stop at Akabane. I really REALLY hoped I wouldn't reach Akabane too late to catch the Keihin-Tohoku back to Nishi-Kawaguchi. Because then I would have to spend the night at Akabane Station, graghhh.
But nope. All that praying today must have paid off, because I caught the 11:56 train (YUSSS!) back and tottered home a bit past midnight, where I sat down at my desk and finished by bottle of sokenbicha. (America better have this at least, because it's delicious and so refreshing during the summer! I suppose Coco-Cola being the distributor in Japan doesn't guarantee it is sold in America. But one hopes!)
I think tomorrow I'm going to go to Nikko. But right now I'm going to go off to die. Right after I shower, because I smell like men, ugh.
I went to Kamakura today in the morning, which was BEAUTIFUL, but I think if I went again, I would do it differently. If any of you go to Japan, definitely go to Kamakura- it has a lot of shrines and an old Japanese town feel about it. BUT! Get off at Kita Kamakura and go down the road (seriously, there are no random exits. There is ONE exit. Kamakura train stations are so cute- small and open with just two raised platforms and rails. You even have to cross the tracks to catch the train going the other way. The only way I know it's JR is the strangely jarring ticket gates at the entrance)
Continue along this road to Kamakura. On the way you will see a lot of temples, some of which are just a steep set of steps cut into the wall along the pedestrian walkway and you don't know they're temples till you get to the top- I DEFINITELY recommend Jochi-ji, which might be more recognisable because it has a little courtyard with flowers before you get to the steep steps. It is BEAUTIFUL and so many different flowers. There are less people here, which I like a lot, and there are a whole bunch of winding steps going into the forest where you can find many old tombstones. OH, it's magic.
I also went to Enno-ji, which is...ok-ay, but not worth 200Y. I found it very homey because it houses the statues of the judges of hell, along with supreme Enma. (Or as a grandmother was explaining to her little grandchild, "Enma-sama." Said little girl looked pretty freaked) Enma used to be Yama, the Indian god of death, so the temple is strangely Indian. It even SMELLS Indian, which is really strange but comforting. But it is very small and there's nothing much there besides the statues.
Then go down the road a bit before Kencho-ji and have the soba Lonely Planet recommends at Chaya-Kado (茶屋かど） and some classic Kamakura violet sweet potato ice cream. (it is delicious! I'm going to try making it at home!) I got natto soba at the restaurant and there was this old man in a tiny matchbox shop (no kidding, probably as wide as the span of my arms. I could have hugged it. After eating some of that ice cream, I almost did) who somehow produced an array of ice creams from the secret depths of his shop (it's a TARDIS!).
Then you'll be quite close to Kamakura after visiting the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu to the left and you WILL be very close to Kamakura station after walking down the tree-lined road leading away from the temples (they build this in the middle of two roads, so it also serves as a divider. XD I love the Japanese. It's really jarring being in the middle of a city and then stepping into the divider and suddenly being in a forest.)
So then go to the station (I spent half an hour trying to find the tourist office. Fuck the tourist office- you're probably better off!) and catch the Enoden line (I lost my last handkerchief here. It was my father's. I'm gonna die) down to Hase. The Enoden electric local train is officially my favourite train line in Japan. Picture the roads going through your neighbourhood. Now picture a train going down there instead- this is the Enoden line! It winds around the sleepy old back alleys of Kamakura, and I swear if some of the houses were a centimeter closer they would get snapped off.
So take this train down to Hase and go away from the train station to see the Daibutsu (giant Buddha) at the end of the road. Turn around, go back towards the train station. Ride the Enoden down to the end and then back to Kamakura, where you can catch the JR line back to where you came from! Brilliant and efficient! Not what I did the first time, so I lost some money doubling back to Kita-Kamakura (I got off at Kamakura instead)
Note that many places close at 5PM, so make sure to get a head start if you want to see freaking everything.
So I'm a stingy bastard, so I said, hey. If I have to spend all this money going back, why not get off at some of the stops along the way? So I got off at Yokohama, which is so...different from Tokyo. It's like a chilled-out Tokyo. Same tall buildings and traffic and loads of people, but...different. Perhaps because it overlooks the sea.
I went to a large shopping complex that is completely roofless. (well, not the shops, obviously) It has balconies that overlook the ocean, and you can sit outside and eat. It's great! The other restaurants were really expensive, so I ended up having American-ish (tuna and avocado sandwich?) food for the first time in 2 months. It was not appetizing. Apparently I have lost ALL taste for American food (whereas before it was MOST taste). What am I going to do when I go back to college? Right, and P.S. I have lost most of the weight I gained at college. It makes me mad that I have to go back to that and probably gain it back again, like what happened last year. Arg.
Then it was getting dark and I was really tired and wanted a drink (I'm going to be so screwed when I get to the U.S. because I'll be in the habit of having a beer now and then, and that won't fly. I like how I have the opportunity to drink over here and I choose not to), so I finally manned up (so to speak) and visited the Advocates Cafe I'd wanted to go to for the longest time in the middle of Shinjuku's gay district. Most places are more directed towards men (who are all beautiful of course- DAMN you, Japanese men! With your perfect looks and your suits and your...waistcoats...that I cannot resist...)
I got kind of lost along the way, but finally found it and actually ended up talking to a bunch of people because I struck up a conversation with Rodrigo, who apparently knows every gay in the world (seriously. He introduced me to his friend Went, who introduced me to their mutual friend and was like, "This is Markl. We met in Berlin a long time ago." WTF?) was really nice and introduced me to all his friends.
There weren't many women there, and the Japanese ones that were seemed...a bit empty-headed? One of the guys in my house was talking about how he wasn't impressed with Japanese women because they're beautiful (Oh GOD, they're BEAUTIFUL) but that's all they are. They're...robots, he said. I see some truth to this, but I also know the women in my school, and they seem alright. Then again, there are not many women in my school either. There were a lot of foreign women there, though. They seemed nice, but I didn't really talk to them since I didn't know how to introduce myself. Apparently all the Glee Club's lessons to me on how to pick up chicks were all for naught. (this is one of the reasons I adore the Glee Club)
But I ended up hanging out there for about two hours, which was surprising because I'd expected I would just be nursing a lonely beer by myself for half an hour before leaving. The bar is very small, so it definitely becomes a block party with people hanging out on the pavement. Rodrigo asked me when I was leaving Japan and said he hoped to see me next weekend before doing his regular air-kisses and hug of death regimen. (Agh, my back curved into a perfect C and popped when he hugged me. He said he learned it in a masseuse place in Thailand. YOU GUYS)
But then I looked at my watch and had a heart attack, because it was 11:10, and the trains stop at midnight, and I had to get to SAITAMA from Tokyo, and I had to get to the train station by subway first! So I went through the gay district on the way back to the station, which Markl helpfully gave me directions to. The district is very lively! I've of course been to homogeneously concentrated places like Chinatown or Thaitown, but I'd never been to one for LGBT people. It was really cool, and I enjoyed feeling very mm...free, I guess? Or maybe I didn't realise I felt confined till I wasn't. Again like with drinking, it's nice to have the opportunity to say, openly have a girlfriend even though I choose not to. It's a pity I find most women silly, no offence/ getting close to people is kind of distasteful for me (that's the winner!).
There are some more bars and regular shops and a whole bunch of people, SO many people! Guys walking around holding hands (Pretty guys! Damn you!) , really decorated cross dressers in Gagaesque style, just regular Japanese people hanging out and drinking. And there are...posters. With guys...for um, rent. I did not inquire. (More pretty guys! Damn you to Pretty Guy hell!)
Speaking of regular people, Japanese gays seem to be just very relaxed and comfortable with themselves, not really conforming to a certain stereotype. I like this a lot, I feel like in America a lot of times communities will judge a person as 'not gay enough' as if there's some requirements you have to fulfill. It's not like that here- I really felt a difference between American and Japanese men at the bar.
Right, back to the whole 'Trains Stop at Midnight, You Have to Sleep At the Station You Moron,' saga. So I ran down to the subway and managed to catch the ridiculously packed Saikyo line to Omiya (I spent half an hour with this guy's shoulder blade digging into my sternum. Bone molestation?), meaning it would stop at Akabane. I really REALLY hoped I wouldn't reach Akabane too late to catch the Keihin-Tohoku back to Nishi-Kawaguchi. Because then I would have to spend the night at Akabane Station, graghhh.
But nope. All that praying today must have paid off, because I caught the 11:56 train (YUSSS!) back and tottered home a bit past midnight, where I sat down at my desk and finished by bottle of sokenbicha. (America better have this at least, because it's delicious and so refreshing during the summer! I suppose Coco-Cola being the distributor in Japan doesn't guarantee it is sold in America. But one hopes!)
I think tomorrow I'm going to go to Nikko. But right now I'm going to go off to die. Right after I shower, because I smell like men, ugh.
