I have so much stuff I’m about to post, so I’m sorry for the overload.
Japan was pretty sweet, but I guess after living in Korea, I was judging it based on my Korean experiences.
Things I liked:
-People don’t dress the same
-Good food
-Cleaner
Things I didn’t like:
-Even though Japanese fashion is the polar opposite of Korea’s tendency to conform, most of it was ugly in my opinion. Korean girls (and guys) always look amazing, even if they are way plainer.
-The transportation system in both cities took awhile to get used to. Seoul is really easy to get around.
-Sooooo expensive.
And lastly, Korean guys are way better looking (overall) than Japanese guys. Of course I made sure to check this out. It was surprising how different Japanese people look from Koreans. I guess I expected it, but you can really tell the difference after living over here. I imagine my not being attracted to J-guys probably has something to do with me being used to how the beautiful K-guys look. Maybe.
Anyway, here are a shit ton of pictures. Enjoyyy~~~^^
Kyoto was a pretty cool area. There was a ton of really amazing things to see, but the city itself kind of blew. The transportation sucked, especially for such a touristy city. The buses were the best way to get around, but they didn’t use much English, and they stopped running at odd hours (one main bus stopped at 5pm). I was also thinking that since it was a smaller city it might not be as expensive as the others. Wrong. One ride on the bus costs about $2.20 and with the won-yen exchange rate not being in our favor, I ended up spending a ton of money just on transportation and food. Not that it wasn’t worth it, I just could never live in a country that is so pricey.
The whole fam (minus photographer Justin) on our way to Kyoto from the airport.
The neighborhood around our hostel was quaint.
Anything you hear about vending machines in Japan is true. They have everything from beer (here) and sake to tomatoes. I swear I saw a tomato vending machine. And this was only in the “small” (maybe 2 million people) city of Kyoto, so I can’t wait to see what weird stuff I’ll see in Tokyo in about a week.
The Golden Pavillion
Kimonos are so pretty.
Everything in Kyoto was so scenic and beautiful.
A little shrine we came across in our neighborhood.
Such a weird ass picture to have at a wedding reception. I especially like the groom’s face.
Then they came out! The bride’s dress was insane and I loved it. (Pic from Karissa)
Up early.
Nijo Castle—we got to walk around inside, and the King or whatever who lived there was so afraid of getting murdered that he had the wood floors make noise when people walked on them. It sounded like birds chirping.
I love the wood on so many of the buildings.
Kyoto was so picturesque.
In Gion, which was an older area famous for the geishas.
We saw a geisha show.
I thought it would be a tourist attraction, but it was legit. We were the only Western foreigners besides a couple.
We weren’t allowed to take pics, but Karissa snuck some. The show was so eerie. There were older geishas playing music and singing creepy music while the younger ones acted out a play, then later danced. Their makeup for the most part made them look really scary, too.
Then the Fushimi Inari shrine. We were busy that day.
It was such a cool place. There was a long trail that went up a mountain, and we had wanted to go to the top, but we were far too exhausted.
There were foxes everywhere. People wrote their wishes on the backs of these I think.
Such an awesome place.
Ninja boys.
Jumping girls (from Justin).
Creepy screw dolls.
In the hostel—Karissa, Ryan, and Sharon.
Justin and Joy.
Woke up early and went to Kiyomizu-dera. We all considered it one of our favorite places. It was so beautiful.
Samesies. Not the only father/son hairdo twins I saw, too. The only one I got a pic of, unfortunately.
Geisha spottings.
We happened to come across the oldest pagoda in Japan.
I looked hella old.
Heian Jingu shrine.
Huge torii near the shrine. They also drive on the opposite side of the road in Japan. No idea why.
‘
We went to “The Philosopher’s Walk”. It was disappointing. (Pic from Justin)
The Silver (not really silver) Pavillion.
The Japanese gardens were amazing. That tree didn’t even look real, as if Bob Ross painted it in.
So many people were there.
It was so amazing looking, and we couldn’t get over how much plant-life was present in Kyoto. I had seriously forgotten what fresh air smelled like.
Raccoon dogs with big balls.
We took a train ride. It was pretty.
Bamboo forest.
Then we hopped on a train for Osaka!
I figured I would make a separate post because we ate so much delicious stuff.
Kyoto:
Chicken and rice, pork and rice.
Japanese ramen kicks Korean ramyeon’s ass any day.
Crepes, crepes, crepes. So good. Not sure about the tuna one, though.
Sushi train restaurant.
Men’s Pocky.
Osaka:
Okonomiyaki, a Japanese pancake sort of thing.
Final touches of the standard North-East Asian condiment: mayonnaise.
Ramen for breakfast.
Put in money, push a button, give the dudes a piece of paper, and this is what you get:
So good.
Octopus balls. Wasn’t down to try them, although I guess Osaka is famous for them.
