This blog post is a continuation from the previous one (you can read that here) of our last week in Japan. By the time it came to our final week, hubby and I were absolutely exhausted, both physically and mentally. Moving homes is no easy feat and when you add a change of country into the mix then you're definitely taking it up a level. Our bodies and minds craved complete bed rest, but we found that we couldn't just take it easy and chill out at our hotel. We felt the need to be out and about, making the most of the limited time we had left in this amazing country, because otherwise we may regret doing nothing during our last few days. We had to make the most of the time we had left.
Hanazono Shrine
Hanazono Shrine
On this particular day though, I did leave hubby to rest up in the hotel, as I wandered out. We were staying in a part of Shinjuku that was quite different to where we normally visit and so I took my vlogging camera and went exploring. I came across the Hanazono Shrine which I'd walked past the previous day but didn't have time to walk around then. The shrine is situated on a main road and used to form part of the Imperial Gardens. The buildings at the shrine have been redeveloped over the years to what's currently on the site today as some of them were damaged during World War II. You can see more in the vlog below, as well as the rest of our final week in Japan.
By the time I'd finished wandering around the shrine, hubby had joined me and we spent the rest of the day in the main shopping district of Shinjuku before heading back to Yokohama the next morning.
Cruise ship at Osanbashi Pier in Yokohama
Back in Yokohama, we had to finish packing up our shipping boxes as they were being collected soon. We did, however, take a break from the packing and head down to the bay one last time. It was such a glorious day that we couldn't spend all of it indoors, especially as it was forecasted to rain on our last day in Yokohama, so you know... we had to make the most of it ;o). We headed to Rinko Park, our local park, and walked along the waterfront where we spotted a huge cruise ship at Osanbashi Pier. Naturally, we had to go take a closer look. We then went to Nihon Odori back to the Turkish restaurant that we'd been to numerous times to say goodbye to the family that run it and grab a bite to eat.
Minato Mirai 21, Yokohama
MM21 all lit up at night
We ended the day with heavy hearts as we walked back from Nihon Odori, taking in the sights that we'd become so accustomed to, one last time. That night we'd be moving our suitcases into our final hotel near Yokohama station, and we knew that we would not be coming back to Minato Mirai 21, the place that had been our home for the past nine months, again. So we lingered around just a bit longer, taking in the sunset and watching MM21 light up at night, for the last time (and wiping a few tears as we did).
Cosmo World amusement park, Yokohama
Whilst leaving Japan was very sad, hubby and I were immensely grateful for having had the opportunity to live in one of the most unique countries we'd ever visited. It also made me glad that I'd taken the somewhat bold step (bold for me anyway) of vlogging as now we had captured memories that we could relive via my videos :o).
Once we'd boarded our flight to Singapore the next morning, the excitement of arriving to
our previous home was starting to take over from the sadness of
leaving our current one. I did do some vlogging whilst in Singapore and I hope to share that with you in the coming weeks.
Although this is my last Japan vlog, it is by no means the end of
my Japan blog posts (or videos about Japan) for I have many things that I
still want to share with you, including all the things that we bought before
leaving Japan. However, all that may take a little time as we wait for
our shipping boxes to arrive and try to progress with our house
renovations, but I will get there :o).
I've been rather inactive on my blog lately due to struggles with my arthritis ridden body. Living with chronic pain, and the subsequent insomnia this causes, means that I don't have the physical energy to do much at all. Even eating leaves me feeling utterly exhausted at times. However, on days like today when I'm feeling a bit more able, I try to do what I can :o).
An iconic steel sculpture in Yokohama
Yokohama sights, incl. the Nippon Maru ship museum and Cosmo Clock 21 ferris wheel
In today's post I wanted to share a vlog with you showing you what a typical Sunday afternoon in Yokohama was like for us, sharing some of the local sights. Yokohama is Japan's second largest city and just a 30min train ride away from Tokyo, making it a good day trip spot. It is an old port city and it's proximity to the water gives it a more relaxed vibe compared to Tokyo. Many sights/activities/places of interest are all within easy reach of one another. It's the kind of city that you can easily explore on foot or bike. There are self rental bike stations (Bay Bike) at most tourist sights.
On this particular day we wandered through a less touristy part of Yokohama where there was a street festival taking place. After quickly realising that we'd seen many of the acts at a previous street festival we decided to catch the subway to one of my favourite parts of Yokohama, Motomatchi, the last stop on the MinatoMirai subway line. Motomatchi and the neighbouring hills of Yamate/Bluff area are where many of the foreign traders settled when Yokohama opened itself up as a port town, after the Edo period where Japan's rulers prohibited interaction with foreign countries.
A (very faint) snow capped Mount Fuji behind the trees in the centre
In this area there are many western style buildings, some of which have been turned into museums and coffee shops, as well as a foreigners cemetery. On a clear day you can see Mount Fuji in the distance near the cemetery's main entrance. There is a walking route which takes you along the edges of the cemetery down to the back of Motomatchi shopping street. Along the way you get a great view looking out towards the iconic Yokohama Landmark Tower and during spring there are some beautiful cherry blossom trees to admire.
Yokohama Landmark Tower and Motomachi
We wandered through the residential streets at the bottom of the cemetery so that I could show you what a typical residential area looks like along with the style of Japanese houses. With space at a premium, houses are small and don't have much in the way of gardens/outdoor space, unless in a rural location (such as what we saw in Kawaguchiko/Mount Fuji area). Even the smallest of house will have a gap between itself and the neighbouring house. You don't see terraced houses in Japan. I'm guessing this is to allow wiggle room in the event of an earthquake. To me, Japanese houses all look very different to one another. You don't see the kind of uniformity that we get in England with streets and streets of houses that all look the same. Even though most houses don't have a front garden, (or if they do it is a very small), there will always be some sort of potted plants/flowers outside the house, which I think is rather nice touch.
In the midst of the residential houses there is a large fish pond which is home to some beautiful koi carp. I remember the first time we came across this purpose built pond, it felt quite random, just tucked away amongst the houses, but then Japan is definitely home to randomness and that's what we love about it. Can you just imagine a pond like this in the back streets of England?!
From the fish pond we headed for a bite to eat, before wandering through Motomachi shopping street. This street is the closest thing I ever came across in Japan that resembled a traditional high street that we get in England. As the name suggests it is a street lined with shops (including many familiar brands like Zara and Gap) and cafes and restaurants. It is especially beautiful during Christmas time when it is decorated with festive lights. It is definitely worth exploring the side streets that come off the main shopping street as there are lots of independent shops selling anything from crockery and lace to food and witches... yep that's right witches! There is a whole shop dedicated to witches, as you'll see in the vlog above.
I hope you enjoyed this little insight into our time in Japan. If you're ever in Tokyo then I would highly recommend a day or two in Yokohama.
On the weekend we finally got a break (for the most part) from the April showers, just in time for the annual Yokohama Street Performance Festival. This is a 2 day festival which showcases and celebrates the talents of a huge range of street artists and performers, ranging from mime artists, singers and belly dancers to acrobats, tight rope walkers and jugglers.
The festival involves not only Japanese performers but also artists from other countries. Whilst it is a free event, donations are collected at the end of each performance and we were only too happy to oblige given how fantastic all the performances were.
The event takes place at various locations around Yokohama, including where we live in Minato Mirai 21. There were two designated special stages which showcased some of the more complex acts such as synchronized trampolining and tight rope walking. You can watch these and more in the video below :o).
As you would expect, the map/brochure detailing all the performances was in Japanese but using specific landmarks we were able to decipher exactly where the events were. Also the index border with photographs of all the different performers proved to be most useful in determining what their talent was...so even though we cannot read a word of Japanese...where there's a will there's a way ;o).
Luckily for us the two special stages were located near where we live and we prioritised watching the artists at those sites as the performances looked particularly exciting. On Saturday we watched an entertaining mime act who did impersonations of a Rocky fight as well as some Michael Jackson and super heroes inspired performances.
We then wandered across to the special stage located outside the Yokohama Museum of Art to watch a duo from Colombia do a number of performances whilst tight rope walking. These men did an amazing, and somewhat nerve wracking job given that it was very windy on Saturday. They didn't appear to be wearing any harnesses but there were a couple of men moving an inflated mattress along the length of the tight rope, just in case. We ended our little outing on Saturday by watching some belly dancing at one of the nearby malls.
On Sunday, we went to the second special stage but by the time we arrived all the best spots were taken (the joys of being vertically challenged;o)) plus it was starting to rain. So we headed into the nearby mall to pass the time until the next scheduled performance.
Whilst at the mall we found an area by the stairwell that proved to be a great viewing point for the special stage. We watched some truly fantastic performers who did the most amazing things with their bodies. I cannot even begin to imagine the kind of physical and mental strength, determination and focus those movements required.
I hope you enjoyed this little peek into our weekend and that the video gave you a little taste of the Yokohama Street Performance Festival. Now that the weather is starting to warm up I think there will be a lot more fun activities and events coming up.
What fun activities/events have you been to lately? I'd love to hear about your weekend :o).
Being British I would of course say autumn, rather than fall, but autumn photos doesn't sound quite as good ;o) I mentioned in last Wednesday's blog post that I'll be doing some posts that are more photography and less text heavy so that I can give my arthritic fingers a rest. Here's the first one, sharing a few of my favourite fall photos from Japan. Enjoy :o)
So many people stop and admire these beautiful trees, but in this moment, she has them almost all to herself
I found these two lying on the ground, just like this, so contrasting yet so complimentary to one another
Looking up at Yokohama Marine Tower
A lone pigeon looking for food amongst the leaves
Early each morning these lovely men come to sweep up the fallen leaves, ready for the day ahead
An artist in action capturing a part of autumn/fall
I love the reflection of the trees from across the road in the windows of this hotel
Yokohama Landmark Tower surrounded by the beautiful colours of autumn/fall
The green and red in this photo remind me of Christmas
I'm not the only one who loves to capture the colours of autumn/fall
I hope you enjoyed these photos of fall in Japan as much as I enjoyed taking them :o)
