South Korea

Today was the day I left Japan after 2 months, ahhhhh terrible!!!!

So direction Hakata port, with a Taxi because otherwise that's a bit complicated!
And then we took the beetle, a quick Ferry

It takes only 3 hours to go to South Korea (Busan) and it's 210 kilometers.
It was moving a bit, but it was ok, I have watch some movies on TV, they played Totoro :-)

After going to the hotel the 1st thing was to eat!!
The food is different from Japan, really.
Here some small fishes, that was ok

But I have order some rice dish, but the lady misunderstood and I got that!!
That's the only thing I didn't wanted in the menu, almost only vegetables with no taste. But no argue, and I don't speak korean anyway.
So my lunch was not really that….

Then direction the foreigner street. Actually this is the chinese street, see

Very nice lady :-)

But actually in the street there are more russians than chinese.
Strange :-)
Many white russians there and this is written in Cyrillic.
Why do they came here, hum I don't know …

But the street was not so nice, dirty and many shops were closed...

So direction a shopping center where you have a view of the city.
Busan is a very big port with a lot of cargo ship, very impressive.

Inside the shopping center there was a water show. Very nice with a lot of forms.
But people here are not so respectful, they push you, they speak loud, this is no more Japan :-(
So I put my armor on and then continue. Well after a while I am also pushing the people, you have to do like the locals :-)

They have also a lot of lights for Christmas and the new year.
This temple was very nice.

And this is the big commercial street, full of people and lights, but mainly people, everywhere!!!

and there was a big hugging party. So many young's hugging each other, so nice !!

There are also a lot of small shops in the street.
Here if you want some socks, help yourself !!!

And also some food shops. But I have to say you have to eat standing, people are everywhere, seems not to be so confortable...

So we went to a korean barbecue, well we are in Korea, it would be a pity otherwise!!
Look, it was delicious, and since we were the only white they took care of us :-)

we had a lot of meat, rice, potatoes, mushrooms, spicy things, and a lot of sauces for the meat.
Really great.
That was a better end of the day!!

So I wish you all an happy new year 2012 from south Korea!!!!!!!!

Big migration

So this morning I left Tokyo, sniff, sniff but I will come back!!!

Today Herve arrived to Japan and we needed to go back to Fukuoka in order to go to South Korea tomorrow.
Well we were not the only one to have this idea.
Today is the 30th of December and this the day where everybody's is traveling back to their families!!
So we couldn't book the nozomi.
That's ok, we met at Shinagawa, the next station after Tokyo station, took an unreserved ticket and jump into the 1st Nozomi going to Hakata/Fukuoka.

Well jump was a bit difficult, we push to enter into the nozomi :-)
We managed to put the suitcases on the side and went into the middle of the wagon.

After one hour standing, some people got off, and we managed to have one seat. 1/2 an hour later the second one. And Since japanese people are not so warrior in this kind of situation it was not so difficult!!!

So it was very very full, and there is a nozomi every ten minutes and in each nozomi around 1000 people, can you imagine????
All Japan is moving.

So for me the trip was ok, not so much stress. Then finally back to Fukuoka, the city I know well!!!
Subway to Tenjin, and then hotel, very easy.
Put the suitcases and direction my Onsen!!! I was dreaming of that moment since a long time!!!

First we had a dinner (not lunch today, no time). French fries, fried pork and soup, おいちい !!!
And then 1,5 hour of pure pleasure, hot water and steam bath :-)

After all relax, back to the hotel, to have a good night sleep. Tomorrow we go to South Korea!!!!

Isakaya restaurant

in the evening I went with some friends in a Isakaya restaurant near my hotel.
Isakayas are kind of tapas restaurant, you order many small dishes that you share.
Actually this is the same friend with whom I went to the sumo training and her boyfriend was there :-)

First she offers me a present.
Did I already mention how japanese people are nice?
This is a notebook with cats, very cute!

And in this kind of restaurant you have to order some drinks, well actually alcohol.
So we had some hot sake, very nice.
On the bottle this is written yokozuna.
Before the door there were some sumo flags, don't know why...

after that we took many small dishes.
This is tofu.

this is a fish.
We also had some nabe, some leaver salad, some gyoza and some tomato salad.
Everything was delicious.
We spent a very nice time, for my last night in Tokyo.
Now I am going back to Fukuoka to go to south Korea.

The museum in Tokyo I think they don't like me!!

I wanted to go to the tokyo national museum but it was closed for the new year.
Today I have decided to go to the Edo museum, so knowing it could be closed, I have first checked on the internet: great it's open! So since this is in Ryogoku (the sumo place) not far from my hotel I went there by foot.

On the way a superb view of the Tokyo sky tree :-)

And a temple again, they are always so big!

First I was looking for a place to eat. Well there, this is mainly Nabe the  sumo food, but well I wanted something else. So I found a nice tempura restaurant. After that I saw Kyokutenho (great sumo) eating and then riding is bicycle with a sportwear, impressive but not so nice I like them with yukata :-)

No picture because I think in the street like that they need their privacy.

But see this is almost the same :-)

After that I found the museum and whatttttttt this is closed today!! 

Don't do web site if this is not up to date!!

So what will I do today?

Well so I was walkong around, saw some sumos status, and some stables where the sumos train, see some sumos on the street on their bicycle :-)

On the street there are some status of sumos as I said, nice!

I also found another temple, with a very nice buddha

a cemetery again, but as I mentioned already I like it :-)

and an impressive number of these wind things, I don't know the name...

These 2 cats have received a lot of flowers, it should be something special, but well I don't know.

Did I explain that already?
In Japan you don't have the right to smoke on the street.
So in the street there are:
1- these signs telling you you shouldn't
2- place where you can smoke, you see all the people gathering :-)

I think this thing is famous, but I am not sure, anyway this is nice!

This was the former place of the sumo stadium, now there is this temple that I have seen before.

These sweets (mochi) where resting on the street. I was impress by the number.
It was difficult to resist!!!

and then stop to a nice cafe to have a rest.

Relax music there, says they have wi-fi but seems not really to work. Actually this is not the first time, even if I ask the guy there we do not manage. Well in Japan everybodies have internet on their phone so this is not so used….

But was nice.

I like the guy on the right with his beret, they wear it more than in France :-)

After that I went back to my hotel by foot. I saw another sumo so close on his bicycle. But I also saw a policeman giving a fine to a bicycle rider for doing something wrong that I have not seen.

He was kind of pissed off :-)

But I have to say the bicycle rider in Japan are sometimes a bit to crazy and dangerous, so…

Voila this was my last day in Tokyo, tomorrow I go back to Fukuoka!

Shiodome again

Today I have decided to go back to Shiodome.
I wanted to visit the museum of Advertising. This is a free museum :-)
They explain the publicity in Japan, starting at the edo time.
This was very nice, with very old ads on wood or new ones on TV.
I saw some ads with sumos :-) Especially Takamisakari (with a story of salt with Baruto for ANA) and Konishiki for alcohol!!

After that I was starving so I picked an Indochine restaurant.
Really nice, with a glass noodle salad with shrimps

This is the restaurant very relax. People often stay long in the restaurant, they look at their phone, read a book, work on their computer, make a sleep.
This is what is nice in Japan, no stress, restaurants and cafes are places where you can stay as long as you want.
The most impressive is when people are sleeping :-)

 And some rouleaux de printemps

and a very big plate of pasta. And for the dessert some tapioca, I just loved it!!!

After that I have stopped at the old Shimbashi station with a small museum and went towards the Tokyo Tower.
I was a bit lost, so I have asked a first guy who try to find out the way and came with me a little bit.
After that I have asked a policemen, who came with me too.
Very nice people here!!
Or is it because I am a single white woman ?
Anyway this is great!!!

There I was visited the Zojoji temple.
This is a very big buddhist temple.

With very old doors

And from the very old temple you can see the new Tokyo Tower :-)
As always I like the contrast!

This is the inside, all gold, but I couldn't put the flash to make pictures ...

This is the main entrance.
The door is so biggggg
You feel very small

I liked this roof with the devil character and the gold design.

In there they put some scents and do some prayers.
This is smelling extremely good, also inside the temple.

The wooden things you buy for some prayers.

And again all these small statues, here there were hundreds of them.

And I have seen the people buying the clothes for the winter...

There was also a big Daruma.
I like Daruma very much.
You can buy one, without eyes. Then you draw one eye making a wish and when your wish comes trough you make the second eye!!!

And this is the Tokyo Tower. This is a television tower. You can go on the top to have a view of Tokyo. But I was not interested!!

After that back to the hotel to rest a bit :-)
And watch some japanese kids program on TV, great to learn :-)