A temple is a temple. is a temple. is temple. is a

temple. or Kyoto. or Nara. Who cares! I surely don't as I have now officially seen too many shrines for one lifetime. Seriously though. Every single religious sight I visited in Kyoto and Nara were exact replicas of one another. Nothing different about them. You can even browse my photos and ponder if all of the pics were taken in one specific place or multiple locations. There are over 2000 temples alone in Kyoto and 1,43 million people. That means there is more than one temple for every 700 people there is in the city. After almost collapsing under the tourist masses, a insane idea came to my mind that all of the temples should be housed by the people who live here and making them off limits to all tourist. Shouldn't be that hard considering the cultures nature of fitting big things into small places. Just an idea nothing more.



Sure they had a couple of nice gardens and statues here and there and the city of Kyoto seemed really small compared to Tokyo mainly because of the absence of skyscrapers. Another nice treat in the city is the Manga museum and the geisha/maiko stacked avenues on the city's east side. I predicted that getting a geisha to pose for photo would be a chance not likely to happen as somehow I had the perception that the highly trained entertainers wouldn't have time for common folk. How wrong was I! Once I spotted one in the buzzy streets I waisted no time and put on a big smile and asked nicely in Japanese could I take her picture. The white faced girl was more than happy to pose for me and the rest is history.



Nara turned out to be a miniature copy of Kyoto where you replace geishas with deers that are something of natural treasure and obsessed with making little Japanese kids cry as they stalk them for those dear cookies. The parents laugh as the evil dears trample over their small beloved ones in search for a piece of sweet and all I can do is join the laughter, what great fun! Besides the dears, there is a nice hill to climb of to for a picnic and take some photos of the city.



For Osaka I cant say that much except had a good time with my host Brian and Renata from couchsurfing and had some of the local cuisine called tacoyaki or in English octopus balls! Trust me, their better than they sound. Nearing the end of the Japan experience I decided to try my luck with Himeji where they have one of the most well preserved castles from the 17th century. If the place wasn't a complete tourist attraction nowadays I probably would have enjoyed but with German and American tourists walking in never ending lines through the rope created tour route trough the castle, I could not help but feel like a rat in a maze. Wouldn't recommend it unless your arriving early there.



Tired by all the tourist that seemed to flock around me like a pigeons, I decided to do something different and head for the onsens in the southern part of Kansai by train. As I was stepping in to the rapid service bound for the my destination, the conductor asked for my ticket and decided its not valid for this train and would have to catch the local trains with 3 switches along the trip. Time was 8PM so scratch that and head for a manga kissa place overnight. Next morning had an idea to go see the worlds largest suspensions bridge near Kobe which I had seen on the previous day from a train window as we went past. So hop skip and jump and I'm in Maiko with a San Francisco feeling to it with ocean breezes, Japanese guitar players and of course the big ass bridge with the length of 3,9 km. Have some miniature beers, eat some strawberries and let the sea breeze hit my face. Next its time for Vietnam and the bustling Hanoi. Ill keep you posted.



More pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/timo.laaksonen/

Beyond the future

It was time to leave Tokyo in search of little peace of mind but first I had to get rid of my ever so wonderful beard that had gone to the limit of being attractive. Japan isnt really know for its bearded people so I had to settle the score myself. Naturally traveling with a budget doesnt give OK-GO! to a electric shaver and I never had a lesson in switchblades while I was in college. The next best thing was a 1000 yen costing razerblade with a battery operated shaver attached. Cheapest things I could find on a short notice and worked out great except that the shaving process took almost 1 hour.



I had already booked cheap tickets which permit me to travel around Japan as much as I want with 5 separate days for 11500 yen (around 70 euroes) with the catch beeing that you can only use local trains which is the equilevant of the dictionary word slow. Train ride from Tokyo to Kyoto takes 2 hours and 20 minutes with a bulletrain without changes and the same trip with the local trains takes around 9 hours with 5 changes. Then again the bulletrain costs already more than the 5 day pass so this works for me fine as Im going to Osaka and Himeji also.



During the train ride I had a great chance to practise my growing Japanese skills and had great fun with the local train riders. Managed to spot Mt. Fuji also during the ride as the train swaping goes trough the town of Fuji. Originally I planned to climb up to that easily accessible hill but turns out its one of the worst times to go up there. With the combination of some reasent year deaths of people who have attempted the odds of going up there, I decided to be a good dog and just chase my own tale instead.



Upon arrival Kyoto I was quick to notice that there are no available places to stay in town so decided finally to stay at one of these 24 hour internet cafes that can serve as temporary places of rest for fairly cheaply. 12 hours with access to bathrooms and unlimited supply to tons of beverages for 20 euros isnt that bad of a deal in a town where room prices start often at 30 euroes.

More pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/timo.laaksonen/

Big things come in even bigger packages

Konichiwa, Domo, Sumimasen and so on. We are in Japan-time now and although it's only been a few days it feels like a lifetime experience. It's even hard to decided where to begin so let's just on with it! The flight to Tokyo was smooth one and the first thing that caught my attention from the airplane was the fact that the country is very VERY mountainous. After checking with LP I found out that around 80% of the country is at least a hilly if not mountainous. As the planes skits to the airstrip I listen up to the old classic by Deep Purple (you know which one) and think about my girl overseas. Not long now..



From the airport it's a quick 40 minute ride to the center of the city but I decided to skip sightseeing and head for the outskirts of Tokyo to the couchsurfing buddy. The first day is spend waiting the host and other guest turn up at the house but it was a good time to get to know the local town. I make up time by checking into a local Manga-kissa. A Internet cafe with loads of manga to read around as well. I get to the house around 00.01 AM and it's straight off to bed waiting excitedly for the next day.



The Sunday starts with a stop at the Harajuku part of greater Tokyo which is known for it's cosplay kids. The kids from the suburbs of metropolis gather to this spot near the Yuyuji park to play out their fantasy costumes varying from popular manga characters to their on own creations. Nowadays the days has become such an attraction that there are exponentially more tourist than cosplay kids. Yuyuji park is a host to all sorts of free attractions as local folk of Tokyo come out here to play out their part in the world of arts. You can find anything. Drums, jugglers, step dancing, hackey sacks, BMX bikes, skaters, guitars and of course the Tokyo Rockabilly Club that throws their thing down at the entrance park with big ass speakers playing the coolest 60-70's rock & roll songs with Japanese lyrics added. Just get your hair full of boot shine, boots worn out to the point of lacing them and gets your groove on!



On Monday it was time for the electronics/manga part of town which is the mekka to any die hard fan of gizmo's, hentai or old school video arcade games. The streets are filled with second hand junk (that is still appreciated here in Japan), nerds seeking for the ultimate cosplay cafe experience and the classic songs from ancient video games. You can observe the most adorable miniatures from hit animes or check out authentic Darth Vader helmets without forgetting of course, Gozilla!



On the other hand you have manga, porno and hentai that have made a small foot hold. Like the miniature shops, you can find the stuff from small rat holes to six floor shopping halls. The subjects vary from Hamtaro styled stories for kids to the stocking bondage for the big kids. Up next it was a visit to see the amazing masses of people at the Shibuya square and the Shinjuku metro station rush hour that 3 million people use daily. To make the day even more memorable, I headed out to see the Tokyo skyscraper ward with outstanding views. First it was a free visit to the 29th floor of the Tokyo NK Building followed by 41th floor views from the Park Haytt Towers Peak Bar. Accompanied by a cake and pint Guinness and the breathtaking views of the greater Tokyo, these are the moments that really make life worth living. "Where is my girl now?": I ask myself as I gaze in to the endless path of lights



Took a days rest and then it was a early wake up for the Tsujiki fish market. Get up at 5.30 and drag my corpse to the metro station for the 50 minute ride to every cats heaven. At the outer rims the action seems to have died down and I'm contemplating if we didn't get here early enough but once you get to the main market, the game is on! Once again Tokyo doesn't disappoint as I roam through endless alleys filled with squid, tuna fish, crabs, shellfish and blood filled buckets full of fish that probably haven't been discovered by any scientists yet. Trying to dodge the forklifts I realize that the place is very well airconned' and the smell of dead fish doesn't go over the top. The day has just begun but I'm exhausted. Maybe I'll head for one of those Onsens to get relaxed.



More pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/timo.laaksonen/

a list of things..

..that make me happy. Shanghai, beeing the modern city that is, doesnt really have that much cultural heritage but rather the towns about partying and the economic boom thats still is in function. There have been a few party's during the stay here so far and they have varied between cool house parties to awesome raves in the clubs. Zapatas, Logos and The Shelter just to name a few. Parties aside though, its always nice to make a list of things that make you happy so when your in the deep hangover recovery phase you can read something that reminds you that every is not lost. Here is my list as it goes:

- cooking with friends, even though its not often
- the smell freashly cut grass
- the way everything lights up with that orange glow during sunset
- creating
- organizing and planning ahead
- rooms with high cealings or decorative lights (have both and i'm yours!)
- making people happy
- touch the stars in the dark quite hours of the night
- to cry
- making faces
- Snickers
- the way Sas answers my to smile. I get such a lovely smile in return
- how director Steven Sodeberd uses lights in his movies
- comics
- film noir
- photoshopping the hell out of everything
- the way a wooden floor feels under my feet
- Jack Johnson's Taylor song intro, suchs a good tune
- painting miniatures
- the Finnish summer
- when my father cooks meals (the former navy chef knows his stuff)
- the true stories that seem to rival the fictional ones
- the few times that I've had the pleasure to sail
- Vevey - Montreo coastline in Switzerland
- my parents and their eternal support for me
- the small clubs of Alicante
- starting a trip to the unknown

Thats a part of it. There are more. Next time I talk to you readers it will be Japan time!