15/07/09 - Heading to Japan's roof
We woke early, in time for the 7am breakfast (actually got Karen out of bed too, very impressed, I must use breakfast as an excuse more often), then off to the train station to catch the next one to Okayama. This was about the time (7.30am) that Karen finished her first bottle of wine (from last night)...
So the first lady around on the train Karen decided to follow the bottle with another. NO white though. Red will do then. Oh dear. A white followed the next time around. Swapping trains the beers began. I admit, I had a beer. Karen had three. The food was interesting as always, Karen's was merely to soak up the wine to allow the beer room to breathe.
Swapping trains again and again, we were running off all places. The worst when Karen went off to the toilet (and got lost) as the train arrived. I was torn between getting the bags on and waiting on the train, or leaving everything by the side. Thinking I couldn't leave this poor girl on her own, I frantically waved when she was in sight and picked up the whole lot of bags in a hulk style*, carrying them on the train.
* Or an experienced bag lady
We were soon passing through the mountains of Japan's roof and getting some great shots. Nagano was no early stop. Still when we arrived I asked first about the ninja museum. Bus outside now. We ran off, not even enough time for bags in lockers! Bus. Most buses are cheap. This one wasn't. Still we could ask the driver to drop us off, easy. Till the school got on. I had to offer the seat next to me as no one would take it!
Still on we went. Then alarms went off, something broke. Bus stopped and was checked. Driver continued laughing over something on the radio. School kids leaving as we go until there was only us two remaining. We double checked the location and soon the museum was in sight.
Ninja Museum.
Paying for entrance we headed off in a sprint show. Apparently there was something to be won if you hit with 5 out of 7 shuriken (wow!) but there was no one there (and when we came back it was close) *WISH the japanese would stop closing everything fucking early!* but we did get to the ninja house which was great fun! Secret doors, passages, trap and a sloping room. Even knackered my camera, but all in good fun. Recommended IMMENSELY
Apparently it helped Karen from the drunken stage, into the "oh dear gods the hangover is kicking in" stage. Hee. So after half an hour of running around and taking pictures of ninja training to see in the UK (as we had no time to see them now. Then running out I bought a door flag (dark royal blue type colour parents) for my house. Who knows, it was a spur of the moment thing but looked better then the rest of them and was a good reminder of the fun day in the ninja house (or 15 minutes)
Bus back. Not told Karen the full cost of that trip, but now she wants monkeys (after getting over the sick hungover feeling by eating at Mcdonalds)
and so I asked at the tourist information. Karen wanted monkeys so we had 4 minutes to:
a) Book a hostel.
b) Ask the tourist information where and how to get the train.
c) Get a ticket on the way to the train.
d) Get train.
Added to the fact the station wasn't part of (but next to) the station we were in.
We made it by not getting tickets as allowed by the station. So we would pay on the way out. Offering sweets to a girl we attacked to get a seat meant we had a little fun trying out a japanese girls english, but otherwise arrived at night. So headed to the hostel and wow. Very nice. And yes the owner is a good english speaker AND an archery teacher. We saw him as he performed the ancient japanese bow rituals. Very good and he has medals and was even teaching a class we could see. I managed to find the two missing arrows so won some brownie points that way (as they are worth 200 quid each and the bows 700 quid each, the arrows taking 3-5 years to make each...)
The archery was the icing on the cake and I would have gone off for the festival in town (compulsory dancing I am told) if not for grabbing food and then back to the hostel and being distracted by internet!
So at the new hostel we met Kate from the southern american states (redneck) with a monkey sex fixation? Interesting conversational person. (Stalks japanese girl pop groups - Sarah? A more female orientated friend of yours?) Don't ask about the lecturer.
Bed now. So much to do tommorrow: attempts at:
1. Outdoor onsen
2. Monkey onsen
3. Nagano Temple
4. Salvation
5. Tokyo for Ghibli museum!
6. Hostel to sleep in!
