Reflections on running water - flying

On this trip I felt like there were five stages to each of the flights. The first is when you take-off. With the powerful thrust pushing you back into your seat there is excitement. You watch as the ground disappears beneath you, trying to locate features before you disappear into the clouds.

Then there is the turbulence, shaking you around in your seat. You hope desperately that it won't be like this the entire journey, focus on watching for the next entry into the high cloud that we begin the bumping again or the exit into blue sky that means some relief.

After a couple of hours or so you get a bit inured to the turbulence. You still don't like it each time the aircraft quakes, but it ceases to consume your every thought. You look outside and all you can see is featureless high cloud. The sun is either very bright or is on the other side of the world and all you have is darkness for company. You get bored and wish that the flight was much shorter.

With three hours left to fly the sun is either setting or about to rise. You notice that the shaking has stopped and you are cruising high above a sea of clouds in a pink and blue tinged sky. This is why you love to fly, suspended up here above a peaceful world with only the hum of the jet engines for company.

You are both disappointed and relieved to begin your descent into you destination. As you puncture the cloud layer you feel the shaking begin again, but you are okay, you know that it will be over soon and anyway, you are busy studying the landscape below. You are excited again.

If only we could discard stages two and three!

Now I feel I begin to understand the difference between flying a low cost carrier like Jetstar and a full service airline such as Qantas or Cathay Pacific over long distances. Jetstar's cabin entertainment is pretty limited and the video on demand units aren't much fun to use, especially in turbulence when you think of what a brick might feel like dropping into your lap. However, the nifty seatback entertainment systems of a modern full service carrier mean that there's always something to watch, even if it's only the flight map to tell you where you are and how long you still have to go.

There's the food too. You certainly wouldn't pay for an airline ticket just to eat - it would likely be your most expensive restaurant meal ever. But there is the fun in the mystery of not knowing exactly what you are going to get. If you fly Jetstar then you pay $15 for the privilege, on Qantas the cost is hidden away in your much more expensive ticket. And you get nibblies too!

I'm not knocking Jetstar, but after three consecutive holidays flying Jetstar long haul I feel ready to try another airline, a good quality full service airline for our next trip, whenever that may be. As I was walking the dog this evening I watched a Qantas 747 fly west towards the high pink clouds in the darkening sky. That's the flight I want to be on. I'm ready!

Reflections on the running water - Japan

It's now a week since we returned from Japan and there has been time to reflect on the journey.

Negatives first. I feel that the holiday was too short, too rushed. We seemed to spend a good portion of each day travelling on trains. For me, that is not unusual as my daily commute to and from work is at least three hours by rail. But B didn't enjoy the non-Shinkansen portions and it was difficult to relax with her unease.

More difficult was, I think, that there were only a couple of locations where we stayed more than one night. From all our travels we have learned that it staying a few nights in the same place can make a large difference to your enjoyment. There's less packing and unpacking, dragging luggage around. You get a feeling for the rhythms of the place, can revisit a restaurant or shop that you especially like. There is less pressure to make instant decisions knowing that you cannot revisit them.

Following on from this were the hotels we stayed in. I think that we have become a little spoiled lately. None of the hotels were awful, but a few of the locations didn't offer non-smoking rooms and smelled rather musty as a consequence. On the plus side, they all offered free internet access in one form or another. We also enjoyed the Japanese style room at the Hotel Hana in Takayama. The tatami mat floor feels so good to walk on with tired feet and I enjoy sleeping on the futons. I have to recommend this hotel if only for the very friendly service and the potato salad at breakfast. The Osaka Cross Hotel also wins plaudits from us, especially the Japanese bathroom.

Despite the hurried pace of this trip I really did enjoy the places we visited. Each had something special and different about it. B and I agree that our absolute highlight of this trip was relaxing in the teahouse at Ritsurin-koen in Takamatsu. Sitting on a tatami mat with the shoji screens opened to let in the breeze and the beautiful garden views was wonderful wherever we were in Japan and I should have liked to stay in a suitably scenic ryokan to enjoy such experiences longer.

Perhaps Tsumago might be such a place for a ryokan stay. Despite the tourist buses the tiny historic town retained a sense of peacefulness and of a life lived despite the cameras. I would have enjoyed walking the trails around the town and sinking into life in the town away from the neon madness of Japan's cities.

Some of the craziest areas of Japan can be found at the main railway stations of major cities. I love the mini-cities that are such stations with so many hotels, restaurants and shops surrounding the station that you often feel that you don't need to leave the station grounds except aboard a train.

The thing about Japan is that on the surface it can look pretty boring. Grey suburbia and factories, yet another castle or temple. But scratch the surface and it feels like there are an infinite number of things to see, do and enjoy. Each time I leave Japan I do so feeling like there is so much more I want to experience.

In part 2 I'll reflect on the flights.

Slipping along the Silk Road

B's mother returned today from her two week tour of China's part of the Silk Road. She had a fantastic time and it is apparent from her photos that they visited some spectacular sights along the way. Places like Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Tian Chi (Heaven Lake), the Yellow River, Hua Shan and Turpan.

While the only place in common with B's mother's last trip to China and our own was Xian I felt pretty familiar with her tour destinations thanks to the large amount of research I did in preparation prior to our trip. Months of attempting to digest everything I could about China. I had hoped to visit some of the same places she did, but unfortunately we just couldn't make it work out in the time available.

I am still fascinated by the Silk Road, not just in China but also in the adjacent ex-Soviet 'stans. Unfortunately, they are probably not the kind of places that you could easily take a young child, but later on, who knows? I think that this is one case where I would rather join a group of younger, enthusiastic people rather than try to go it alone.

One thing I am certain of is that I would not like to join B's mum's tour. Every night a set dinner with show, karaoke on the coach and posing for photos (and I mean posing). No freedom to do your own thing. She loved it, however. So many photos of the hotels she stayed in and the awards that they had won! This has forced us to take photos of our hotel rooms, but not to the same extremes. Oh well, as long as she enjoyed herself we have no complaints.

The sound of running water

We made it home from Osaka. There is a special feeling that comes when your arrive at your house after a holiday. It is utter relaxation. No longer do you need to worry about other language or customs. There is no need to look up directions, to plan out your day, to journey between sights.

Then again, you now need to clean up your own mess, to make your own bed. Rather than eat out you need to cook your own dinner. The shower is weak and the toilet doesn't wash your bum. And you need to wake up early tomorrow morning in order to spend a day at work. You are back to your old routine.

Looking back upon this holiday in Japan I've decided that the theme of running water has applied to each of the days.

1. Sunday - Arrival in Osaka - washing ourselves Japanese style
2. Monday - Matsuyama - water from the hot springs at Dogo Onsen
3. Tuesday - Takamatsu - waterfall at Ritsuen-koen
4. Wednesday - Tsumago - streams of water throughout the town
5. Thursday - Takayama - the sounds of rushing water everywhere
6. Friday - Takayama - racing through river valleys
7. Saturday - Osaka - high pressure showers
   
8. Sunday - Osaka - Japanese toilets that wash you clean

As I remarked earlier it feels so unusual for a person brought up with severe water conservation to see so much water everywhere. I don't know that the Japanese waste more water than Australians, but I suspect that there is more to go around.

Our final day in Osaka was spent doing more shopping. We returned to Den-Den town in a largely unsuccessful hunt for model railway parts (seems to be a shortage of Tomix points), though B did buy me a nice birthday present. For B we explored the department stores. And my arms were very sore from lugging six liquid soap refills and other assorted cosmetics/washing products through crowded shopping arcade. They will hopefully keep us going until our next visit. The Japanese make wonderful body wash products, it feels like even cheap hotel rooms stock high quality shampoos and soaps.

The Nankai Rapi:t returned us to Kansai International Airport as it started to rain outside. We discovered that our flight was delayed by a few hours, but all the shops were closing airside. I attempted to post a blog entry using the free wireless access, but kept losing all my work thanks to my clumsy fingers on the Sony Mylo.

I was feeling a lot of trepidation about the upcoming flight. All I wanted to do was have a shower and sleep, but what I expected was a turbulent and uncomfortable 10 hours in the air. I wished that there was a magic portal that I could use to pass between the two countries.

Well, the flight was quite rough, with the seatbelt light left on for quite a long period initially as we bumped and shook in the high clouds. I was glad we were seated in the over-wing section. It did level out somewat after a while and I even caught a little sleep.

Overnight flights are generally uncomfortable in economy class as it is difficult to sleep on the seats. Most of the cabin screen entertainment was not particularly interesting, though I half watched Charlie Wilson's War, which was okay. However, night flights can offer their own form of beauty, sailing high above the Earth in a darkened cabin while the land below sleeps.

I watched the yellow moon set in the west, beneath the high clouds. Once its glare was lost, the stars were revealed, with planet Jupiter bright against the cloud of the Milky Way, so much more rich and beautiful than you can see from a city.

I knew when we were approaching Guam by the storm clouds that flashed beneath us. Things got rough, with the pilot steering us between the clouds.

Dawn lightened the sky as we crossed over Papua New Guinea. I loved the orange light that suffused the dark cabin. The flight became smoother once we tracked along and over the coast of Queensland, flying high above a carpet of cotton wool clouds that stretched out forever.

I was glad for the break at Brisbane airport during the brief transit, enough time to stretch the legs, empty the bladder and grab a drink of milk. Breakfast was various rolls brought over from the amazing food section of Takashimaya.

We reboarded our aircraft for the, thankfully brief, flight to Sydney. With tired legs we disembarked from the aircraft for the last time. It didn't take long for us to collect our baggage and pass through customs, then we were out, back in our home city!

I'm glad I had another chance to visit Japan. I love the country, the scenery, the people, the goods, the foods. I know that I'll want to go back again, and again. Hopefully I have returned this time inspired and enthused. For a short time, at least, I am satisfied and happy to be home.

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Shopping in Osaka

Just watching BBC World News as live scorpions are being deep fried in a Beijing market. Now it's pork in steamed egg in a Chinese take-away. Brings back memories, but I know which country I prefer right now as a tourist. Yes, it's Japan. And I don't want to leave.

[How do you eat duck heads? You open up the mouth and suck out the brains.]

Still on the subject of news, we woke up this morning to see a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Iwate province flashed all over the Japanese news. Down here in Osaka we didn't feel a thing, but the pictures of roads demolished by landslides are quite astounding. Unfortunately they are currently listing 6 people dead and about 100 injured. Scary.

The earthquake replaced the other big news which has dominated the television news since we arrived: the Akihabara knife-wielding murderer.

Fortunately, there was nothing so dramatic to report about our adventures today. All we did was shop. And shop. And Eat. And shop. From the shops along the Shinsaibashi covered arcade we caught the train up to Umeda. There we waited in a long queue to dine at an Okonomiyaki restaurant.

Okonomiyaki is a patty shredded cabbage, meat and egg cooked in front of you. [Yaks' penis. He split it in half. It just moved. I'm not trying. No way! Back to Okonomiyaki] It's then covered with mayonnaise and a sweet teriyaki sauce. It's a local speciality of Osaka and it's good!

After lunch we shopped for clothing (cute baby clothes!) and explored my favourite electronics chain: Yodobashi Camera. Oooh, such beautiful computers!

Back to Shinsaibashi station. More clothes, and the wonderful Tokyu Hands. We were in search of dog-related items, specifically a pooper-scooper. Surely, the Japanese would have a really cool version.

All we found was a scoop designed to be held at the dog's rear while it is doing the business. Right. Don't think that's going to work on Kita.

After dinner, we dropped off our heavy load at the hotel, then walked down to Den-Den town. Most of the shops were closing at 8pm. We made it to Joshin Super Kids "toy shop" (Super Kids must be a euphamism for big boys, like me). Unfortunately, they had run out of some of the model railway parts I need. I did pass a closed model railway shop on the way, so I'll give it a go tomorrow.

Tower Records was still open. Limited edition John Williams soundtracks. Yay!

Last full night in Japan. I'm sad.

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Tale of the Orange Sarubobo

Each morning the Takayama locals hold a couple morning markets alongside the river. While there are many tourist goods for sale, there are also farmers selling fresh vegetables and pickles from small stalls. It was from a shop alongside the Miyagawa market that I bought by little orange sarubobo doll.

The sarubobo was designed to be attached to a mobile phone. He had a little bell atop his head. I chose orange as it supposed to bring luck in travel.

From the markets we set off east and along the Higashiyama (East Mountain) walking course. The walk is away from the busy tourist oriented shops and up past numerous shrines and temples. It is calm and beautiful, with the white, brown and greens of the temples and their gardens.

The signposted walk also takes you into the quiet suburban streets of Takayama, past tiny rice paddy fields, market gardens and the houses of people who are obviously none too poor. You could tell by the fresh wooden construction of old style homes.

The path then goes up into Shiroyama Park, beneath a dense canopy of cypress pines and deciduous trees, circling around the ruins of Takayama Castle, though we saw little sign of its existence.

We must have turned off the path too early, because we found ourselves wandering through suburban Takayama. It wasn't until we had crossed the Miyagawa river and saw the train line that we realised that we were walking in the wrong direction. It's partly the fault of the Hotel Alpha-1. How was I to know that there were two of them!

By the time that we had walked back to the centre of Takayama it was too late for me to catch a train up to Inotani and back in order to admire the scenery along the route. So much for luck in travel!

We ate some more hida beef for lunch, grilling it at our table over a gas cooker. Then we collected our bags from the hotel and walked back to the train station for our ride back to Nagoya, and then onwards to Osaka.

I was sitting in the train in between photographing the scenery outside (the light was so much better today) when I noticed orange sarubobo missing from where I had hung him on my bag's zipper. His cord was still attached, but no sarubobo! Obviously he had decided to seek his own luck in travels.

We tried to catch JR all the way from Shin-Osaka, the Shinkansen stop, and Namba, where our hotel is located. But we gave up due to the number of changes required, especially when the platforms were so crowded with rush-hour commuters. Finally reverting to the subway, we made it to our hotel, the Il Cuore. It looks very cool inside, but isn't anywhere as nice as the Cross Hotel in Osaka. I'm glad I booked us in for one night at the latter at the start of our journey, if just for the Japanese bathroom.

So no travel luck with an orange sarobobo, it's Friday the 13th and our room number is 404, an unlucky number for the Chinese!

I'm feeling depressed that this is our last stop. I'm having so much fun on this trip!

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Beefing it up in Takayama

First Matsuyama. Then Takamatsu. Now Takayama. Pine mountain. Tall pine. Tall mountain.

Not all beauty in Japan is on a miniature scale. The train ride between Nagoya and Takayama is incredibly scenic, running along deep river gorges of boulders and jagged rocks on the way up into the mountains. There was an English/Japanese brochure detailing the region’s many sights in the train's seat back pocket and the sights were also announced over the PA system.

Initially we followed the Kiso River, the same as we visited yesterday. The Kiso was joined by the Hida River and it was this that we followed into central Japan. At times the river rages through narrow gorges, but the Japanese have tamed most of their rivers to provide hydroelectric power, so other sections were placid blue-green lakes bound by dams. Great pipelines ran down sides of mountains, through the generator turbines and back into the river. Steel red and pale blue bridges criss-crossed the valleys to allow traffic and trains to pass between the towns that lined the riverbanks. Tiny tea and rice plantations clung to the edges besides the train tracks, while the number of sawmills hinted at the major industry of the area.

The previous time we visited Takayama was during its famous Spring festival, when giant wooden floats were paraded through the streets. Takayama was a lot quieter today, though there were still many tourists. We had fallen in love with the historic streets with their traditional wooden architecture and the many shops selling woodwork, furniture, pottery, rice crackers and other souvenirs. Most of all we loved the Hida beef, so tender and full of flavour.

After dropping our bags off at the hotel the first thing we did was go to a restaurant and order premium Hida beef shabu-shabu, thin slices of meat and vegetables you boil in broth yourself using a cooker at the centre of your table, then dipped into either a citrus or sesame sauce before eating. It’s an expensive dish, but it tastes divine.

We then spent the remainder of the afternoon wandering around the historic areas of Takayama, stopping by shops to purchase fine crafts as souvenirs. The lacquer and wood work is amazing, but usually has prices to match. We did pick up some really cheap, but interesting, pottery, along with a few other odds and ends. One of these was a sarubobo, a faceless doll that is supposed to bring you luck. I’m after an orange sarubobo, which is supposed to bring luck in travel!

The amazing thing about both Tsumago and Takayama was that wherever you walked you could hear the sound of running water. The water flowed through the drain channels at the edge of the roads, presumably coming from the rivers that flow through Takayama. It's such a beautiful but strange sound for someone coming from a country seemingly in perpetual drought, where running water generally means that it's raining or that water is being wasted.

When the time came to replenish our energy we stopped by a small store to order takeaway skewers of Hida beef. Then dinner was a crumbed cutlet of Hida beef with salad for B, while I had hoba miso with thin strips of Hida beef. Hoba miso is a local miso with vegetables cooked in a magnolia leaf over a small charcoal burner at your table. We sat cross legged at the low tables on the tatami mat section of the restaurant, the Bandai.

Our room at the Hana hotel is also Japanese style, with a tatami mat floor and rolled out futons for beds. We had the choice of a Western style room, but it's more fun to sleep like this, with the scent of straw permeating the room. The staff are very friendly here and there is free internet (wired LAN) in the lobby.

There is so much to do in and around Takayama. And more Hida beef to be eaten!

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You go, me go, Tsumago

Poor B, she doesn't have the same levels of energy anymore and with pregnancy we've had to slow down and make certain we have meal breaks at the appropriate times. It doesn't mean we can't still have fun.

Today we caught the Shinano Express to Nakatsugawa, a journey of less than an hour. The intention was to catch the bus to Magome and then decide whether to walk or bus it to Tsumago. Magome and Tsumago are historically preserved checkpoint towns in the Kiso Valley along an alternate route between Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo).

The train runs up into the Central Japan Alps, along river valleys carved between the mountains. It is spectacular scenery, reminscent at times of the European Alpine regions. However, instead of meadows, available flat areas are devoted to rice paddies and vegetable farming.

Upon reaching Nakatsugawa B decided that she couldn't face a half-hour bus ride to Magome and certainly was not able to travel between there and Tsumago. The alternative was to keep going onwards to Nakiso, the nearest train station to Tsumago, but we were out of the train by now and had missed any early connections. So we wasted some time by wandering around Nakatsugawa, B trying one of the local chestnut sweets.

Nakiso is quite close by train. It's perched scenically over a bend of the rocky Kiso river, the valley floor littered with huge grey boulders. There was no bus to Tsumago for a while, so we hired our first ever Japanese taxi to take us there. It cost 1350 Yen, about double the bus fare for two, so it wasn't bad value.

The drive took us past a stone monument workshop. Amongst the usual religious statues was a giant frog with breasts as well as a couple of gravestones for chihuahuas (the were picture on their fronts).

Despite the many tour coaches Tsumago was absolutely gorgeous. The town is nestled inbetween high mountains heavily forested with the cypress pines that played such a large role in the valley's history. Imperial decrees protected the pines, with heavy penalties for unauthorised logging of this valuable source for of building materials for royal residences and shrines.

Edo style wooden buildings line a road open only for pedestrian traffic. The sound of running water fills the air, with streams running alongside and across the paths, filling wooden troughs and stone basins.

There are two museums that are well worth a visit. The Tsumago-juku Honjin was a rest house for nobles. Walking around the quiet tatami-matted wooden house is very pleasant, though there is a lack of English signage. You are handed a printed explanation with your ticket, however.

The Waki Honjin Okuya was another rest house for high nobles, including the emperor. Tour guides are on hand to explain. The gardens are gorgeous. Take the time to sit on the tatami floor and contemplate their beauty. The historical museum at the rear of the house features an extensive history of the area, starting with the stone age Jomon people. The English signage is excellent and there are guides on hand to talk about the house's interior.

Inside the Waki Honjin Okuya we were handed a piece of rough surfaced cypress pine. The guide then told us that this was the state of the timber in a newly constructed house. It was then smoothed and darkened by the rubbing of clothes washing over the surface and by the action of the smoke from the irori, the open fireplace in the centre of the house.

I would love to walk the full path between Magone and Tsumago one day and to spend at least one night in a Tsumago ryokan. The town has a quiet, restful beauty that should be even better once the tour coaches have departed.

For now, we were day tourists and it was time to return to our hotel in Nagoya. We waited for the infrequent bus back to Nagiso, but once there only had a short delay before a convenient express train back to Nagoya.

As we entered the environs of Nagoya I spotted the Hotel 0 degrees C, followed by an appartment block named Incubator! I guess the locals like it a bit hotter than the visitors.

After our arrival at Nagoya we wandered through some of the shops nearby the station, including the ever wonderful Tokyu Hands, purveyors of various gadgets, crafts, furniture and everything else for the home and office. Dinner was local kishimen noodles, flat rice noodles. Nice, but after soba noodles for lunch we ended up feeling a little noodled out.

One the subject of food, in our opinion the Okayama peaches were nice, easy to cut but flavour-wise not worth A$9 each. The Gokuri mango juice was also good, but not up to their grapefruit standards.

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Pine trees, tea and fruits

As I begin writing this we are speeding across Japan at hundreds of kilometres per hour not knowing where we will stay tonight. Our Series 700 'Hikari' Shinkansen will deliver us to Nagoya, but we have not booked any accommodation.

Outside the window the sun is a mere patch of glowing yellow in a hazy grey sky. The land alternates between rice paddies and the grey tiled roofs and concrete of suburbia. But if you look carefully there are always tiny patches of beauty that stand out amongst the samness o the landscape. A temple, somebody's ornately manicured garden, a narrow path between a bunch of old wooden houses. It takes a little while to see the real beauty of Japan. A cursory glance will only lead to disappointment.

I happen to glance at the walls of this Shinkansen and notice, for the first time, that the plastic walls appear to be made of handcrafted washi paper.

The day began a little late, but sleeping in felt so good. We had to wait at Matsuyama Station for our train, so we ate a western breakfast at a small station cafe. I say western in that there was toast, eggs, bacon croissants and the like, but we ate it with chopsticks and were served small bowls of spaghetti in tomato sauce.

Everywhere on the main island seemed quite far from Matsuyama (Pine Mountain), so rather than waste a day we decided to make a detour via Takamatsu. Thankfully, the two and half hour journey was rather more comfortable than the previous day's. Despite the modern exterior the carriage had a wood theme going on inside. We had wonderful views across the calm Inland Sea, though the islands were rather obscured by haze. It's a pretty journey between the mountains and the sea, past rice paddies and through bamboo valleys.

After our arrival at Takamatsu (Tall Pine) we dumped our luggage in a coin locker and obtained maps and train timetable information from the tourist office. With some time to waste we explored a nearby supermarket, marvelling over the range of goods.

A local JR train running on a single track took us two stations to Ritsurinkoen-Kitaguchi (Ritsurin Garden North Gate). The garden is Takamatsu's main attraction. We've visited two of Japan's Top Three Gardens and in my opinion Ritsurin should be displacing Okayama's Koraku garden in that list.

As Takamatsu was only a stopover for us we followed the supplied map's red "one hour" path, but it is worth making a few little detours now and then. One such detour is to see the Okedoi-no-tai waterfall. Apparently it was once generated by pouring buckets of water down the cliff whenever the local lord walked past. Now it seems to run constantly.

Nearby is the Kikugetsu-tei teahouse. We stopped there, removed our shoes and ordered a bowl of matcha (stirred powdered green tea) and sweet. The shoji screens were opened on three sides of our room, allowing the gentle breeze to flow through as we sat on the straw tatami mats. In front of us was a gorgeous view of the Kansui-chi pond with the waterfall in the background, a gentle sound the only noise. It was wonderfully relaxing and if somebody had layed down a couple of futons it is likely that we would have fallen asleep there in the afternoon warmth.

Unfortunately, our time was limited. We returned to Takamatsu's main station and had a late lunch of tonkatsu before boarding our train to Okayama. Across the massive Seto-Ohashi bridge, admiring the islands to the South in the late afternoon haze. It was a classic Asian scene.

After a total of six visits to Okayama station we finally bit the bullet and purchased some fresh peaches from one of the souvenier shops. They cost 1800 Yen (A$18), making them the most expensive fruits we have ever bought. We'll see how they taste tomorrow.

From Okayama it was a Shinkansen ride to Nagoya. I thought of just wandering around until we came across a suitable looking hotel, but B's eyes lit up when she saw the shopping and eating opportunities in Nagoya's station plaza. The Associa Hotel (not the Marriot Associa!) has discounts for JR Pass holders and is located within the station building. They had a vacancy, so we took a room. They also have free wireless internet access - yay!

Unfortunately for B the shops were closing by this time, but in a kind of appropriate way considering our first meal of the day, we had a late dinner of Japanese style pizza (Nagoya chicken and leek with soy sauce) and pasta before returning to our small, but comfortable hotel room.

Those of you who remember my earlier trips to Japan will know of my obsession with Gokuri Juice: the Miracle of Grapefruit. No luck finding it this time, although I did see competing grapefruit juices. However, at a little supermarket outside of the station, one which sold Tim Tams, I discovered Gokuri: King of Mango! Which will win 1800 Yen peaches or Gokuri Mango? Stay tuned for tomorrow's edition!

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