A Foxy Shrine

Posted by Serina Hardiman |0 comments

After a soggy day in Osaka it was nice to have our next day open up with some sunshine to take a trip to the Fushimi Inari shrine. Inari is the Shinto spirit of fertility, agriculture, and industry and is often depicted with her fox messengers. As soon as we stepped off the train we were greeted outside of the tiny station by a beautiful statue of a fox.

The shrine itself is adorned with thousands of torii gates which symbolize the gateway to sacred grounds and most of the gates at the Fushimi Inari shrine are donated by businesses who have been successful. Each of the torii have the businesses names on them and are used to mark the paths on the grounds.

The shrine is filled with so much magic that you can easily get caught up in the traditions of visiting such as the washing of the hands and mouth at the entrance of the individual shrines before ringing the bells, the amusement of drawing your own fox face on a wooden plank, or just spotting hidden idols on the grounds.

Along the torii paths loops for visitors to stop in at many sub-shrines. Imagine our surprise when we realized that there were paths to take you to the top of the mountain. Since our auto accident in January we've been slowly integrating hiking back into our active routine as Chris gets back discomfort and tightness so we figured we may not make it to the top. Luckily for us there were many stops along the paths, from tea houses to gift shops, sub-shrines and drink vending machines that allowed him to take a seat and rest. I even made a little feline friend on our way to the top shrine!

As we were making our decent it felt like we had the place completely to ourselves as there are many little loops other visitors seemed to splinter off on. We rounded one of the sub-shrines and saw that we could have had some company in the form of cheeky monkeys. The sign directed us to not make eye contact, not take pictures, not feed the little rascals and if they approached us to pick up stones and "pretend" to throw them. We didn't actually encounter any furry friends but once we got closer to the bottom of the trail we caught up to other visitors such as a few young ladies walking the path in their kimono and zori (sandals).

All in all it was a beautiful experience that I would definitely recommend as a MUST if you were ever to visit Kyoto. There is just so much beauty in the visit that it should not be missed. As we were leaving I snapped a picture of Chris under the torii since it seemed at some times he would be too tall to walk beneath them. As a result of our desire to hike up the mountain we had lost track of our fellow travelers and decided to partake of a cake cone treat filled with bananas, chocolate, and cream in the shape of a fish while waiting at the entrance in case they came out. The local girls were laughing at me as I was taking pictures of the deliciousness but it was too cute to pass up!

Next up: Strollin' Kyoto and Capsule Sleepin'

Rainy Osaka and an Elopement

Posted by Serina Hardiman |0 comments

We set off to Osaka on the morning of the 15th with a very special mission in mind, to get our friends Felicia and Todd over to the US Embassy for their appointment to get their marriage application. Once we arrived at Osaka Station we had to leg it over to the embassy in record time with our Google Maps for direction. The WiFi hot spot we rented certainly the hero at this point!

We had just about made it when we were concerned we had passed it so Felicia asked a police officer for a little guidance... while she was standing under the American flag! To be fair none of us saw it or the eagle emblem on the side of the big gray building. I think the rain was playing some tricks on us.

We dropped them off and headed across the street to wait for them at a little cafe Dabney spotted as we were wandering around called Hug French Toast Cafe. I just loved the interior and all of the little details that went into it's design that I neglected to take any pictures of the delicious food we ordered. It's mostly gourmet french toast or eggs benedict items. All of it was fantastic!

Once Todd and Felicia finished at the embassy and put some yummy french toast in their bellies it was off to the municipal ward to get them officially hitched! Once we arrived at the municipal ward we were asked to come back and sign as witnesses on the registration. After several funny and sweet exchanges with the municipal workers we have a new couple united in wedded bliss!

What a trip! The typhoon made for some soggy logistics but we still were able to properly toast the couple with some good German and Japanese beer at Eki Bacon at Osaka Station to salute their freaking awesome marriage certificate!

Go-kekkon omedetou gozaimasu, Todd and Felicia!

Trains, Kyoto, and Typhoon Tomfoolery

Posted by Serina Hardiman |0 comments

A very important thing to learn when going to another country besides the language (which we have been fumbling through to be honest) is public transportation options.  Even in a country like Japan that embraces and is quite effective in managing a rail system it can still get a bit challenging to foreigners like us. 

 We purchased a JR Rail pass which is only available to non-Japanese travelers and it has been incredible and already paid for itself. It works on many trains such as the local and rapid rails as well as the bullet train (shinkansen).

We even found a place just for me!

 After our arrival in Narita we got up a bit early (no jet lag...yet) to get a feel of the walk to the station to get us to Tokyo and connect with the shinkansen to Kyoto. It was a pretty easy stroll to the local station and we passed a couple of familiar places like McDonalds and 7 Eleven.



Once we boarded the JR Rail we found out quickly we had jumped on the local which made all the little stops along the way instead of the Rapid line. For you Atlantans, think MARTA and all the stops it makes and how much nicer it would be for a direct shot from North Springs to Airport with only major station stops.

It was still a pretty cool experience for all of us, especially when you get to the station platforms and there are vending machine, small noodle shops and convenience stores for you to grab a bite and drink before hopping on the trains.

Chris and I ran into one shop where we found one of our favorite snacks, ONIGIRI! It's basically a rice ball stuffed with assorted fillings like pickled plum, seaweed, tuna, bonito flakes, salmon, and our favorite which was some sort of mustard ginger. We've essentially sustained ourselves with these things!

We grabbed our tickets on the shinkansen which is a 3 hour ride between Tokyo and Kyoto covering about 285 miles. It's a pretty smooth ride with lots of leg room and often times carts come through selling drinks and snacks. Chris and I split a bento box shaped like a panda and a couple other snacks and marveled at the countryside. This really is a breathtaking country!

 Once we arrived in Kyoto we were off to find our hotel. We tried to book everything within reasonable walking distance of major stations. The first two  nights we booked at the Almont Hotel Kyoto which I would HIGHLY recommend for those who want a quiet and safe hotel. It may be a few blocks away from Kyoto station but was very accommodating and the staff was so nice. I think though, when we return, we'll stay north of the station to have easier access to Kyoto shopping, indie restaurants, and night life.

After dropping off our luggage we headed out to the west side of town to see the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and to stroll around the shrines and riverfront.

This is about the time the jet lag caught up to us so we headed back to our  hotel and switched over to the "house clothes" they supply you. I couldn't stop giggling as they are "one size fits all" but I don't think they accounted for a 6'3" Hardiman when it came to the slippers and his size 13 feet! Chris did say he likes the idea of these outfits for home.

After all of this excitement we found out that we were going to be lucky enough to experience our first legitimate typhoon but luckily the local weather girl was able to wand it away keeping it to some gloomy skies and a wet trip to Osaka.

Up Next: Witness in Osaka!

The Flyover

Posted by Serina Hardiman |0 comments

So when booking our flights we decided to try out the highly rated Singapore Airlines. We also booked on the largest passenger aircraft in use, an A380 Airbus where we landed seats on the top deck. 

Photo Credit: Felicia Evans

 The airplane is so huge it has full blown sleeping suites on them for the mere pocket change of $12,000. Next time, Singapore Air! Next time!

Our seats were part of a four block so we were next to 1/3 of our party. We were greeted with hot towels and a travel pack that had socks, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.

Next up came our meals. We were able to specify our meal preferences to which Chris got the vegan, I got the vegetarian, Mike got a low carb, and Dabney was the easy goer with the normal meals but got the chance to pick between an standard meal or Japanese meal so she went with the latter. We were also able to pull a fast one on Mike as we flew on his birthday and asked the airlines to properly embarrass him on our flight out. It came complete with many congratulatory handshakes from the flight staff, a cake, multiple Hershey's bars and a bottle of champagne!

Between the in-seat entertainment units, the pillows and blankets, a decent recline on the seats, and foot rests it made for a decently comfortable flight! I got to catch up on some movies I hadn't seen (Monsters University  - Loved it!, A Place Beyond the Pines - Good drama!, The Heat - HILARIOUS!, and Man of Steel - Meh.)

We managed to stay up the entire flight try to ready ourselves for the local arrival time of 7PM in Narita. Once we arrived we had to walk a little bit of a stretch (which after the flight we didn't mind) to make our way to customs which was extremely easy and so polite!

Photo Credit: Felicia Evans

After we rounded up our group it was time to pick up a WiFi hotspot we rented which has paid for it's weight in GOLD (more on that later) and is highly recommended for anyone traveling abroad with electronics who doesn't have international access on their phone. Chris rented one through a company called GlobalCom for the entirety of our trip. We also needed to exchange our Japan Rail Pass vouchers for our actual passes which have also been an essential purchase that has already paid for itself. It allows tourists to purchase 7 or 10 day unlimited use passes on the participating railways which cover pretty much all of Japan.

Once all of our prep work was completed it was time to get to the hotel. We opted to stay near the airport for the night since we weren't sure how we'd adjust to the time. After a 15 minute cab ride we arrived at the Richmond Hotel Narita. Be warned, hotel rooms in Japan are smaller than Westerners are accustomed but if you pack smartly and can keep tidy it will be no sweat! The rooms certainly make up in amenities what they may lack in space like ELECTRIC TOILETS complete with automatic seat warming! You also are in no need for pretty much any toiletries and personal care products. They really know hospitality!

They have a slot near the door for you to put your hotel room card to "turn on" all of the electricity which I think is not only an awesome conservation idea to keep from leaving lights on when you leave the room but also is pretty nifty at keeping your room card in a spot you won't forget it. We started playing with all of the light features as they have light controls for all parts of the rooms on your headrest of the bed complete with reading lamp dimmers, a foot lamp so you can see were you are walking if you get up at night, and even a stow away flashlight. So thoughtful!

The rest of our evening was trying to work out the details of the next days trains and locating our nearest station. All of the flying, planning, and check-ins completely tuckered out the Mister.

Next up: Taking the Trains a Kyoto Day 1!

A Layover

Posted by Serina Hardiman |1 comments

After a couple days adjusting to the Japan time and trying to make sense of public transportation I'm getting the chance to recap the beginnings of our trip. When we booked our tickets to Narita we worked in a layover in Los Angeles to visit a couple of friends and where we could meet up with our travel companions, Effen, Dabney, Felicia, and Todd.

Tina just moved to L.A. from Atlanta and was eager to show us the sights so off we went to Santa Monica for lunch. We stopped in a Mexican joint called Holy Guacamole where we proceeded to voraciously devour a burrito the size of our heads! We also grabbed a coffee at Espresso Cielo where they have a science lab type coffee beaker and coil (kicking myself for not taking a picture), stopped in at Rudy's barber shop to buzz Chris's head and later trim my hair (their receptionist is also a stand up comedian - everyone here has more than one "job"), then proceeded past the freakishly large hobo clown ballerina to get to Venice Beach.

Not much has changed since I had been there almost 17 years ago save for the "green physicians" stations and a pretty rad skate park but it was all new to Chris. It still has some great people watching, street performers galore, artists peddling their wares, and t-shirt shops with cheeky slogans lining the boardwalk.

We walked around, grabbed a beer at a place called Larry's (who has an affinity for hats and cigars) and headed over to meet our friend Alex and his girlfriend, Katie, for what else? A sushi dinner before flying off to Japan! Guess we wanted a fresh comparison between the California variety and the original.

At this point I'd like to say I've only had two celebrity sightings in my life where it wasn't arranged by some movie preview or stage performance and that was Sean Astin in Hollywood AGES ago and George Clinton (the P Funk All-Star variety) at the ATL airport. I have since doubled that count in the mere 28 hours we were in L.A. Keep in mind I wasn't going to be one of "those" fans asking for photos but I have witnesses and they are willing to testify on my behalf.

The first sighting came while we were waiting to be seated at the sushi restaurant in Studio City. Chris actually spotted her as I was distracted by a lady wearing fashion camo (I don't know).  He pointed out the "sassy waitress from Cheers who throws drinks on people" and I got way too excited for my own good to see Rhea Perlman (aka Carla) sitting two folks down waiting to be seated.

They totally let me take these pictures. (Not really.)

The next sighting was at LAX while we were going through the international security line and I saw Stephen Merchant (British actor) working his way through the line. My travel companions kept laughing at me because I think he's fantastic and literally turned into an excited ball of silly. He had run off to his terminal but while we were waiting on our plane I was preoccupied with charging electronics (or maybe fashion camo again) when Dabney signaled to show me Stephen tying his shoe at the end of our row of seats. Unreal!

So what's a trip to LA LA Land without a few brushes with fame? Overall it was a great start to the trip and was equally great to spend it with friends we haven't seen in a while.

Next up: The Flyover.

Made it!

Posted by Chris Hardiman |0 comments

Just wanted to drop a quick note that we made it to Japan safe and sound. We have plenty of pics to share and will post them when we've had a little time to unpack and settle in when we get to Kyoto tomorrow. Current time is 10:50PM on the far east coast! Time to get used to the sleep schedule!

Oyasuminasai!

Posted by Serina Hardiman |0 comments

Boy, have I been neglectful! Chris and I have had many an adventure since our last post and I may have to concoct an "Outdoorsville: In Retrospect" post once we settle down. In the mean time, I will be tracking our most current adventure of traveling to JAPAN where we are accompanied by friends and stopping in the following places:

Stay Tuned!