I made it to Eva’s Backpacker
Wow … this is a really nice backpacker! With BBQ on the rooftop, and really nice ppl. Lots of Germans here, so i won’t loose my mothertongue.
The first day here, i joind some others from the backpacker and went to some pub to watch the rugby match Wales-Newsealand. I dont like soccer too much, but rugby is really great!!! Way more interesting and really male!
The Pub was really nice, if you ordered something before 830 that day, the bartender would throw a coin, and if you won, you got what you ordered for free! … we won two jugs of beer! 😉
After the match some black singer showed up, playing lots of evergreens. A really good party with about 2/3 of backpackers there.
The second day I slept till 1300, read the newspapers from the last few days on my notebook, had a shower and went out to get me something to eat. On the way I found a small wooden backgammon, just the kind I was looking for. Back at Eva’s i made me the noodles and sat on the rooftop where Axel joined me when he returned from his work (a small candle factory). Sitting in the sunshine (sure with sonblocker on my skin!) having a beer and playing backgammon was really like holiday.
As more and more ppl showed up om the rooftop, we decided to have a nice BBQ for dinner, so some of us went out to get some kangaroo meat, and some vegetables for sidedish. Another one got a 4l box of Ozzy wine (not too bad). With all this we had a really nice dinner with a bautiful look on the skyline of sydney! At 2300 we had to change to the kitchen, as the rooftop is closed after then. But that didnt stop the party!
Today I’ll have a walk in the city, looking for a mobile phone, and other stuff I need. Cya m8s!
Back from Kyoto
two days in Kyoto
Monday i went to Kyoto by Shinkansen, the fast Bullet-Train. I Kyoto i had reservation for some cheap hotel called Uno-House, an german couple in the New Koyo had told me about. A really funny place, with japanese-style dorm (4 matrasses on the floor and nothing else 😉 ). The rest of the house was really chaotic but a nice atmosphere, like living with a family.
the first night there i went out with some guys (GB, NL, DE) who stayed there, too. after dinner we found some original japanese reggae-bar 😉 hehe … had to take off our shoes and where laying aside the small table … a nice place with a calm and darkatmosphere.
the next day i took for walking Kyoto, starting at the main-station, wich took me some hours for itself, really amazing architecture!!! later i went to some area with lots of temples and park, a nice walk for the whole afternoon, but sadly there were masses of japanese tourists.
in the evening i called my grandma back in hamburg, who went 84 that day. in the evening we went out with the ppl from the hotel again. we startet with 6 ppl (Sing, Jap, GBx2, NL, DE)on the way we acquired an english couple, and in the restaurant we met some friendly american guy. after a good dinner and lots of japanese beer we went outside and split up in smaller groups. The Sing and GB went to some club with two japanese girls the met in the restaurant, some went back home and the US-guy and me got us some sake and had a nice talk on some bridge with a view on a river floating through Kyoto. in front of an ampm we ran into a really friendly ozzy guy in his 50s, who took us with him to his favorite japanese restaurant where he knew the chief and staff. we’d been living in Japan for 15-20 years or so and did the english translation of the menu there. after some really tasty pork-sticks and some french wine i got home to the hostel at 330.
In the morning everybody at the hotel got up around 900 and nearly everyone had a good hangover 😉 the others who went to the club came back around 200.
after searching some international ATM, i went to the station to get on my bus back to tokyo.
having a nice talk with a friendly and english-speaking girl, the 8 hours to tokyo didnt seem very long. even though i’m getting better in seeing differences in japanese faces, it still hard for me to guess their ages, so i thought she was around 26, but in the end i realised that she was 37!!!
at some 15min stop in the evening we had some hearty japanese noodles for dinner.
back in Tokyo
arriving in tokyo around 1900 i went on to the starbucks where martine and i set up a date. with a big cup of hot chocolate i waitet for her, later we dropped my stuff at the New Koyo and went on to Ueno, where we looked for some english pub.
after some beer we had to get the last train home, each of us in another sirektion. we set up some date for the next day (today).
after a long sleep till 1000 i had some cup-noodles and went to the place where we wanted to meet, as trains had to wait a while (probably some track-works) i got there about 30 mins late, and couldnt find her. after another 30mins waiting i gave up and went to the HotSopt in Shinjuku to update my webstuff. well here i am … up to date again. 😀 two more days in Tokyo and on i go for Sydney.
back in Tokyo
YHI @ Asakusabashi
spending just one night here, i didn’t unpack my things. spending the evening with a nice chat with some older guy from Oz, i went to bed around, 2200, Martine really got me done!!!
moving to the “New Koyo”
the New Koyo i probably the cheapest place to stay in Tokyo, aside the sleepingboxes at some station! I got this tip from some japanese looking canadian at the YHI Tokyo International.
Beeing designed for Backpackers, those are the usual guests there. Just the kind of place I’ve been looking for.After a short trip with JR and subway and a 15min walk, i checked in at the hotel. When i first saw my room (single room for 2700yen !!!) i was completely amazed, just the perfect thing. A really small room japanese style (i had booked jap just because i was interested in what this meant). Jap style means like nothing i the room except some rice-mats on the ground and a TV-Set. As i dont want to type my fingers off, i made some video of the room before. (room @ New Koyo)
this really seems to be what i was looking for!
My further plans are to get some nightlife (in the New Koyo they’ve got no curfew!!!), and spending one or two nights at Kyoto (probably Mon-Wed).
Greets, Tim.
Mt. Fuji with Martine
first day
Martine and I met at around (;-) … martine) 730 at some Starbucks near Shinjuku station.
After some hot chocolate we went to the highway-bus-terminal, where we bot on the bus to Kawaguchiko, some town near a lake belwo Mt. Fuji. The day before we had booked a hostel there at the tourist information, who also helped us with the busses.
After a short walk we checked in at the hostel, a small, flat building, run by a grandpa in his 70ies-80ies. Seemed like an older english couple where the only ones at that place.
Looking for some place to have lunch at the lake, most restaurants were closed, as we were out of season. After some japanese lunch we had a nice walk around a part of the lake and across a bridge. As it had stopped raining right when we went out for lunch, and the cloud had risen, we had an really interesting view over the lake. With the coulds hanging in he hills around it’s been a really interesting athmosphere!
To some japanese ppl we must have looked like aliens, as they were greating us as they’d never seen redheaded girl and a tall man before!
In the evening the friendly old man running the hostel, helped us heating the burritos we’d bought before for dinner. With a bottle of Sake (I think it was, as we couldnt read the label, but it was standing beween other sake bottles) we had a nice movie on the notebook.
second day
Getting awake with loud classical music at the floor and some announcement throu some really loud loudspeaker a really nice day started. The clouds had disappeared, and the sun was shining from a blue sky!
Together with the english couple we had a kinda mixed japanese/western breakfast, wich gave us the power we’d need later that day! Leaving my bags in some locker at the station, we got on the bus to 5th station on Mt. Fuji, arriving about one hour later.
When we got to the 5th station, there where clouds all around us. But jut this mad a really amazing atmosphere!!! getinng a walk up the Fuji in these foggy forests was just amazing, sometimes supenly sun was shinig, as some free spot in the clouds opened. hiking further up the mountain, trees got few and disappeared. as Martine really loves hiking in mountains (as there are so few in Holland 😉 ) she made me climbing up to 7th station with her! she ‘s in a really good condition, unlike me ;-)… but i made it. arriving there, getting really cold, having some snowballing, the clouds opened just for us and gave us an amazing view on the top of Mt. Fuji, the sun right above it! (there are quite few fotos in the gallery, as i took most pics with the good old analog cam). After a shorter walk back down to 5th, we had some hot coffe waring us, waiting for the bus back to Kawaguchiko. Back there we had dinner in some nice japanese restaurant with an beatuiful view on Mt. Fiju with sunset right aside it. After another bustrip back to Tokyo, we divided and i went to my new hostel.
Online again …
some relaxed days with fred-frencho
*smile
yesterday we went to some handcrafts-market (really impresive .. they got a REALLY big choice here … you can get everything… Obi is nothing!).
afterwards we had lunch in some nice small japanese lunch-bar in yoyogi.
in the afternoon we walked to some nearby park with an ols shrine in it. after we had a look at the youthhostel there we managed to get back to ours at around 1900 with hurting feets… we really walked a lot that day.
to relax a bit before going to bed, we watched some movie on the notebook.
this morning i first answered some e-mails from Martine, trying to set up some meeting. (it’s really hard without mobilephones, i can remember how thing were working before mobile-communication), afterwards we walked to downtown Tokyo, passing a beautiful park and the emperors palace.
after a visit in a BIG bookstore (having a look at some nice photoalbums with fred (he studied design)) we split up, with me travelling to Shinjuku, where i set up the meeting with Martine. Right around the corner there’s a beatiful hotspot, with some trees and banks to hang out and relax. (see pic below)
The first few days
Stuggi-London
met Rob & Oli, guys from Karlsruhe, doing the same round the world ticket but other direction (starting in LA)
London-Tokyo
got to know Martine, a girl from Holland, who was sitting aside me. this way the flight didn’t take too long but as things startet out so nice als already guesse there was something to come. (Murphies Law!)
arriving in Tokyo me and some others from Stuggi realised the our baggage had stayed in Heathrow 😉 … so i made it to the hostel without any heavy backpack.
the nice thing about is that my bag arrived that evening without hassle, and i had nothing to carry 😉
Tokyo
The first day in Tokyo i slept from 1700 till 500 in the morning, getting awake with a amazing beatiful sunrise over Tokyo in front of my window on the 18th floor!
video1
video2
The first day i managed to buy some LonelyPlanet on Tokyo&area and a power adaptor for the notebook.
it’s been really funny to read the LP on Germany, especielly the part regarding Stuggi. They even had the “Palast der Republik” as a tip in there!!!
today i tried to buy some mobile-phone, but i realised that those thing cost nearly double the price they cost in good old europe! as do MP3 USB sticks! 🙁 ill have a look when im in oz … maybe the prices there are better … else i need some carepacket from germany.
searching for WLAN
in the afternoon i was walking the hotel-district of Shinjuku, looking for some free WLAN hotspots. i found some outside, but as this was not tooo comfortable, im now sitting in some cafe below the hilton tokyo, having a hot chocolate with free internet.
The journey starts!!!
W-LAN at Stuttgart Airport!
Niceee! I got W-LAN access at the airport. Just typing a few words, letting the world (löl) know i made it at least to the airport.
Hope my luck will ast further 😉 …
Cya m8s, read you soon.