Rain in Takayama

To get to Takayama we catch a bus which takes about 4 and a half hours struggling up windy mountain roads, over bridges across huge drops, past several dams and through tunnels under mountains.

One of the tunnels was 11 kilometers long (it had a sign)! We were in there for so long, and there were even forks in the tunnel road, that it made me think of the dwarves from LOTR (geek) and Lauren thought that we were going to pop out in ToonTown like in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit".

Even though the ride was long it didnt feel it because we were having fun and when we weren`t talking the views were amazing!

When we arrived in Takayama we had a bit of a job finding the hostel. I saw the description and booked it straight away.

We were staying in a buddist temple called Zenkoji Temple Inn which had decided to earn some extra income by converting some of the rooms into dorms, as it could no longer run on donations alone.

We checked in and, as it was already quite late and they had a 10 o`clock shut down, we just stayed in and went to bed.

The next day it was still raining so I bought a cheap umbrella and went around town anyway!

We had been told by everyone we asked about Takayama how beautiful it was and amazing and cultural. First impressions were that it was just a bit of a drab little mountain town.
I might be a little biased because it was raining, and because it was in the Japanese Alps it was really cold but really in town theres not much to see but some old buildings and some little museums.

So after looking at the old houses we went to the museums :P

Most are your usual museums with things in glass boxes but there was one that, when you first go in, just looks like a wierd eclectic collection of stuff that some strange old person just never wanted to throw away! It turned out to be awsome! In one room some old toys and arcade games, in another the room is set out like an old class room with jars of formadahyde with disected animals in, and elsewhere posters and film memoralbelia and cans and bottles and old docters equipment and shoes and cooking utensils and signs and medals and uniforms and cars and loads andloads of just wierd interesting stuff. No explaination, Just Stuff. it was great!

We also found a nice heritage house and talked to a ukranian/American who talked really loud!

When we get back to the hostel I sit in the common room for a while and get chatting to some people who have been traveling together for a little while: Paul, Tom and Tanya and after dinner Me, Luaren, Paul and Tom decide to go out for a drink and try to find a kareoke bar. On the way out we meet a woman called Beralina who is old enough that people think that she is my mum but she is cool enough to come out with us when we ask in passing and she was a really fun lady to go to a bar with!

We start off in a small bar for one drink but end up in a tiny karaoke bar with about 15 seats total and there are three Japanese people who are already Very drunk and who seem to LOVE karaoke!

There are marakas and things on the bar so we join in by playing those for a while, then one of the japanese guys is so happy to hear me talk in Japanese that he buys us Sake and feeds us some pickle stuff! Awsome! After a little while everyone is singing Karaoke until too soon it is closing time and we have to go back to the hostel. Awww.