Tokyo to Kyoto and back again! 13/01/11 - 20/01/11

Our final couple of days in Tokyo will be ranked as our most memorable in the capital, whilst our stay south in the stunning city of Kyoto will forever be etched into memory as the quintessential Japanese experience. They have 17 Unesco World Heritage sites here which basically says it all! We are still loving Japan and will be gutted to leave, however about time as I have completely mastered the art of butchering the Japanese language with my local dialect much to Micki's amusement!

Fortunately, our arrival in Tokyo coincided with one of Japan's most famed Sumo wrestling tournaments at the Ryogoku Stadium just south of Asakusa where we were staying. Not wanting to miss the sight of 20 or even 30 stone men in what can only be described as oversized nappy/thongs throw each other about we, in true traveller style, snapped up their two cheapest no frills tickets. These guys were immense, although tubby and on the rotund side they were pretty good athletes! There's a sentence I thought I would never say! What got me was no matter how big they were they still managed to perform their pre-sumo rituals of crouching, leg raises and splits esque moves that defied all physiological beliefs, not even Micki in her halcyon gymnastic days would have attempted such moves!

Bouts were over quickly as you can imagine with the fattest guy normally winning outright, but it was a true Japanese experience watching how the sumo wrestlers are so respected, their rituals and even how a guy gets up and sings after every bout to announce the winner (yea that got irritating after say two bouts!) We watched about 40 in total and were proper 'sumo'd out' by the end. Will put some photos on facebook and the blog, who will be first to tag freeland or wallo ay!

Travelling overnight on the cheap seats of a Japanese bus is great if either a. you are 5ft tall (most Japanese are) or b. you have flexibility and suppleness to rival Bruce Lee but yes you guessed it, I am neither. 8 hours with your knees wrapped round your face was just great. Micki who could curl up in a small suitcase (no bondage/MI5 gags intended) obviously had acres of room and slept right through, although in the first 10 minutes she did state " I don't travel too well on buses", before fully utilising the bus litter bags! Happy bus travelling ahead of us ay! I on the other hand, slept like a baby, by that I mean, waking up every hour screaming!

If northern Hokkaido is Japan's yin then Kyoto is undoubtedly Japan's Yang! We ummed and ahhh'd as to whether to visit Kyoto due to it being so expensive to travel here but with hindsight it would have been a travesty to miss out! This is the Japan we had both ever imagined, with ancient temples galore, raked pebble gardens, immaculate huts set amidst sprawling bamboo groves (think crouching tiger hidden dragon scene) even with the occasional geisha sighting (ok so were lucky enough to photograph 3 or 4, which is a rare feat in itself, not bragging!) much to Micki's excitement/giddiness! Geisha's are women who wear the full white make up, dress in full kimono style and wear the absurd and freakishly combination of white socks and thong wedged sandals! Apparently thats normal here, still gets me every time! Gesiha are basically gentlemen's entertainers and are normally only found in Tokyo and more aptly Kyoto. There is less than 1000 left in the whole of Japan, according to many we were very very lucky!

We have visited loads of temples, sounds a little mundane but many were unbelievable! The best of them were: Kinkaku Ji (the golden temple), Nanzen Ji (a former retirement villa turned temple), Tenryu Ji (stunning temple set amongst a bamboo grove) and Ginkaku Ji (Japan's premier sight, silver pavilion). I can't do these justice so you have to just see the photo's!

Believe it or not we haven't actually made it out yet for a night on the beers (wine!). Lots of hostel drinking with travelling buddies, not too messy yet although it doesn't take us much at the moment!

We so wished we had more time in Kyoto to explore a little more and maybe visit Kobe and Osaka but finances and lack of time come top of the list. We did manage to stomp our way round Kyoto's districts of Higashiyama, Ayashiyama and Gion. Think we covered about 12 miles in 2 days, we were both hanging by the end but on the plus side weight is dropping is off us. I have shed 9 pounds in the last 3 weeks, maybe not that healthy but Micki reckons I have lost my 'endearing paunch' as she calls it and my heredity 'Braybrook' backside!

We have managed to send our ski stuff back to the UK, but I fear when we left it that would be the last we would ever see of it! Most likely make its way out of Japan and eventually into England with uber efficiency but then Royal Mail will get their hands on it! Ha, oh yea managed to leave my brand new Burton ski mitts in the hostel too, they are currently residing in New Zealand as another couple took them for us! Numpty!

Well we are definitely looking forward to China but not the cold cold weather again (in the minuses for the next 3 weeks!). Im sure everyone feels sympathetic ay! Micki and I are looking forward to some sun in south east asia and blinding/offending some locals with our pasty white bodies!

As I am writing this epic blog we are waiting for our delayed flight from Narita airport to Beijing. We have loved every minute of Japan especially just a few of those little things that make Japan what it is:

- they love vending machines and use them for absolutely everything, beer, flowers, fags, motor oil, hot dogs, burgers, ordering food from a restaurant, there's even one half way up Mt Fuji!

- they are the most welcoming, polite and patient people ever. Everybody waits at crossings for the green man no matter how clear it is!!

- the japanese talk a lot, sentences roll of the tongue like they are re telling a life story but really translated it is just a few words!!

- Japan's unemployment rate is so low, because there is 3 or even 4 people doing 1 persons job all the time! You get not one person ushering you across the road or serving you in a dept store but 2 or 3!

- heated toilet seats, the future!

Tom and Michelle x