Japan

I found a cheap one way ticket from Cairo to Tokyo. Let me say that it would be hard to find two more different cultures. To go from Egypt to Japan was a pretty big culture shock, but luckily I knew a few people in Japan who helped me ease into the style and culture of the country nicely.

I was lucky enough to meet up with my former co-worker from NYC Mike, and his girlfriend Kyoko who decided to visit Japan while I was there. Kyoko spoke fluent Japanese which helped us breeze through places like Mt. Fuji, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima and Takamatsu.

Mt. Fuji
We met up with a few of Kyoko's Japanese friends and rented an apartment near Mt. Fuji for the night. After having a delicious BBQ, we went to the local onsen (traditional Japanese bathing facility typically heated by hot springs). There's nothing like taking a dip in hot water on a cold night. We woke up the next morning and headed for Mt. Fuji, but only after Mike and I fell in love with Japan's vending machines which are everywhere and carry almost everything (Mike and I bought fried chicken).












Kyoto
Referred to as the cultural heart of Japan, we visited Kyoto's famous golden palace and Shogun's Temple. Our itinerary was packed full of sightseeing activities thanks to some detailed planning by Kyoko. The methodical itinerary led us from one place to the next and allowed us to see all the major sites in the area in a short period of time. I imagine if Kyoko ever wanted to start her own touring company, she would be very successful.










Nara
Nara is a small town known for its friendly deer population (except during mating season). We were there during mating season and although the deer were mostly worried about food, one male deer got pretty aggressive. See pictures and video.......








Takamatsu
I always talk about "getting local" when I travel. We stayed at Kyoko's grandparent's house where we experienced the most traditional aspects of Japan. It couldn't get more local than visiting her grandparent's beautiful mountain cabin, gigantic shrine at the top of a mountain (that required to cable cars to get to) and participating in a tea ceremony performed by Kyoko's grandmother.










After Mike and Kyoko left, I was a little sad, but then I met up with Kei (from my South Spain blog) and we spent the next week doing everything Tokyo. Whenever Kei and I would go somewhere, he swore he was taking me to "THE BEST" of whatever it was. Whether it be a noodle shop, karaoke lounge, video game center, local bar, sushi restaurant or the best neighborhoods, he had his specific picks and they didn't disappoint. By the way, Japan is one of the most technologically advanced countries on earth. Even their toilets are run by computers!

Tokyo









Kobe
I was fortunate enough to actually know someone in Kobe, Japan as well. I spent about a week at Merv's house (my roommate's cousin who grew up in Kobe). Merv and his brother Bunty did a great job of showing me all around Kobe. Merv and I had hung out before when he lived in NYC for a short time and I must admit, it was refreshing to explore a new city with a familiar face. After being on the road for so long and meeting new people almost every day, building friendships from scratch can become a bit tiring. This wasn't the case with Merv and Bunty as we fell right into our routine of jokes and laughs.







After Kobe I made my way back to Tokyo and met up with Kei again to start the next part of my journey.....CHINA. In total, I was in Japan for a month and loved every day of it. So far, it has been one of my favorite countries on my journey.

Up Next - CHINA!