Seoul Searching...

Greetings from Pusan, Korea! Oh, and we mustn’t forget Happy Thanksgiving here at Hotel Dong Shin! Apparently we missed the memo that it’s holiday weekend across the country and all trains, planes, & automobiles are booked until Tuesday. Here’s to an unplanned adventure—more on that once we make it to Seoul!

Recap on Japan—Although we weren’t able to get past “hello” & “thank you” in Japanese, it’s been a blast having the locals and other travelers write messages on the whiteboard. From geishas near the historic temples, to the owners of traditional restaurants and the amazing world travelers we’ve met along the way, the photos sum up the trip perfectly.

Kyoto is definitely known for its elaborate pagodas, but we also found a monkey park at the top of a huge hill. These happy creatures have quite the set up looking out over the city, and Justin even tried out their long mountain slide.

Next stop was Hiroshima! The local cuisine was amazing. Sushi and ice cream from 7-eleven often hit the spot but it couldn’t compare to the okanamiaki at midnight surrounded by boisterous locals. We also saw the Peace Memorial Park and Museum. It’s astounding to see a city so vibrant when just 60+ years ago it was wiped out by the first Atomic bomb.

Our last day was spent on the island of Miyajima —where the low and high tides crash in and out of a popular gated temple. This small city is also known for having the worlds largest rice scooper and chocolate filled treats…mmm, delicious. That evening we couldn’t make it to South Korea and didn’t reserve another night at the hostel so we ventured out for a place to stay (DUN Dun dun...) We stumbled upon the Aster Plaza “Youth Hostel”. After receiving the room key we made our way upstairs to find giant chandeliers and a private corner room with views of the city skyline and riverfront. We quickly put on the complimentary kimonos and took action photos while jumping on the beds...

Great finale to Japan!







NEW People Whiteboarded!

SEE PHOTO ALBUM TOP RIGHT OF PAGE

Mt. Fuji & Kyoto!

We arrived in Mt Fuji Sept. 7. We rented bikes to tour around a gorgeous lake, but shortly into our trip it started to rain. We made a quick turn-around for town. We found a supermarket where Justin’s dinner consisted of free samples. Oh yeah, and a corn dog, sushi, a donut and ice cream. How he came up with that combo, no one knows. When it came time to check-out, the lady kept talking to us in Japanese. Luckily I was giving Justin the play by play on what it all meant which went something like this… “Corn dog. With donut. How creative. Soy sauce for sushi? This needs a price check. I love price checking. Hold one minute. Time me while I check!"

…On another note, our hostel that night was great. At the door, we had to take off our shoes and they had cool bamboo slippers for us to wear. We didn’t end up seeing Mt. Fuji because of the cloudy weather, but let me tell ya, our post cards look amazing!!

Next stop Kyoto! Within a few minutes of getting on the bus, the bus driver flies by an old woman at the next bus stop. Someone shouts something in Japanese and the bus driver stops in the middle of traffic, gets out, and zig zags through cars & two parking lots. He and the old lady run together back to the bus! What a Kodak moment.

We later realize after being in Kyoto and having to ask for directions several times, the people are always there to help. Locals literally biked blocks for us to find the right bus stops; what a cool part about Japanese culture.

Kyoto has been an amazing place. We’ve had fun seeing traditional temples, hiking up hills to shrines, trying on kimonos, seeing Giant Buddahs, and of course whiteboarding with the locals & travelers alike!

Up next: Nara & Hiroshima!!

NEW WHITEBOARDED PEOPLE:

Yokoso Japan! Let the adventures begin

We skipped a day! We left Iowa on the morning of Sept 4th and woke up Sept 6th in Japan. That's a very surreal feeling especially when we went to breakfast and everything was in Japanese, and hundreds of people were hustling around that didn't quite look like us. Once we figured out the elaborate metro system--serving the 34 million people in Greater Tokyo --we were well on our way to see what this city had to offer...

*ATMS don't take our debit cards
*Neither does McDonalds
*Menus in "appetizing" plastic outside
*Impolite to put soy sauce on rice ...Whoops!
*Free Origami at the bank! (Realistic panda)
*Optional musical flush button on toilet
*Plus heated seat & bidet function
*The primped & styled hair...on men

<--Notice the capri jeans, fur hoodie, & man purse!


And the cool things we checked out:

*Busiest train station in the world, 2 million passengers/day
*Busiest intersection in the world, AKA "3 minutes of happiness"
*109 Building, uber-trendy fashions for pretty boys...& girls
*"Electric Town", 7 floors of the latest electronic gadgets & gizmos




Up next: Climb up "on" Mt Fuji!!





WHITEBOARDED PEOPLE WE'VE MET:


<--Woman from Osceola, IA, recently traveled to Tokyo. <---Jim, diving coach from Mizzou, also world traveler
<--Amy from Heath, TX; just moved to Tokyo!