ARGH!!!!!!!

Okay Lesley, pull it together. You can do this, you’re going to love it! Right? Yes but that’s not going to stop my 24 hour panic phase now is it? Plus I’ve still got a bit to do, such as uploading my final itinerary to this site and finishing a shiny Google Map. But I feel shite and can’t be arsed so it will have to wait for the weekend. In the meantime, there are some amusing Boos to pass the time:

© Japan Convention Services, Inc./© JNTO

This is gonna be a short post. My eyes hurt and my glasses are having transition lenses fitted. Also I really do prefer AudioBooing. But anyway, my mind has turned to traveling. Not only am I going very far away, I’m also using various different modes of transportation. There are boring ones like cars and buses but also planes and the infamous shinkansen. Now I love traveling and different ways of doing it, even if the act itself knackers me out.

I am, of course, very excited about my flight. As I’ve mentioned before, I ♥ Virgin Atlantic and have cherry picked a window seat in Upper Class all for my very own there and back. I intend to lounge in the Clubhouses at Heathrow and Narita, find myself a comfy spot at the bar in-flight and then snooze right through to landing. The lovely Tinkerbelle on the V-Flyer forums was kind enough to post the new UC menu on flights to and from Narita and, boy, is it tasty! Indeed I’ve already picked what I’m having and it pleases me there’s actually a dish on both legs I’m going to enjoy.

When I get in to Narita, I’ve got to get to Tokyo so I decided to be sensible. I’m going to take the Limo Bus simply because it will take me directly to my hotel in Shinjuku. Technically, it’s not even a limo – more a coach (check out the video) – but the point is it goes from A to B. I know, come 9:30am I’m going to be shattered. I’m not going to want to navigate from Shinjuku Station on my own or take a train. Even if, once I get to the hotel, I just put my head down for an hour the trick is checking in fast and simply. No stress, no hassle, no fuss.

Next is the Metro, I do want to wander around Shinjuku Station and go to Meiji Jinju shrine. Getting to the latter means using the Metro but I think I can cope with a quick jaunt to Harajuku. At least it means I can get myself a PASMO card so I don’t need to worry about buying three dozen tickets. Even then, until I get used to the Metro and Tokyo in general, I’m going to wait for sightseeing properly until the group and I, then Eri-oneesan and I, get the chance to wander Tokyo.

My Hato Bus tour kills two birds with one stone, allowing me to sight-see without having to worry about getting lost/confused/terrified. I get to see the things I really want to see, sample some culture and food as well as making sure I am safely returned back to my hotel come the end of the day. Perfect. This is particularly important as I have to catch a shinkansen to Osaka the following day.

Ah yes, the bullet train. Now this scares me. Well not the train, more Tokyo Station, buying tickets and finding my train. The good thing is, I can figure out my journey ahead of time using an awesome website caller Hyperdia. The trick is deciding on a journey then printing it out, scribbling notes on the bottom like ‘Fuji-san ga mieru seki’ and the kanji for no-smoking and window seat. I’m really REALLY tempted to spend the extra cash and get a Green Car seat, just for experiences’ sake.

I feel equally unnerved about Osaka. I have to get from Shin-Osaka to Izumisano. I have instructions but there’s reading and doing and they are totally different things. Worse, Eri tells me to watch out lest I be distracted by the siren’s song which is delicious Osakan food. I’m doomed! Hopefully the Osakan Metro and railway system will be just as straightforward … I’m so screwed …

I’ve decided, later in the trip, that I will take the Narita Express – mainly because I can get one directly from Narita to Tokyo Station where I can then jump on the shinkansen to Kyoto. I’ll be in Narita and Tokyo during the last couple of days of the tour and it shouldn’t be too difficult to get back into the city and on to my final destination. Again the Green Car tempts me but, again, that depends on my finances. We’ll see.

Kyoto is where it gets interesting. Well, specifically, Arashiyama. I’m tempted to take the Romance Train and a boat trip to get there. This really depends on time and the weather – and if I go with the group. We’ll see.

The one thing which I do intend to do – mainly to make my trip much easier – is takkyubin. This is basically a delivery service where your suitcases – or anything else – can be sent around the country or from hotel to hotel relatively cheaply. It’s bad enough traveling with my backpack and the Sightsaber but this will make it so much easier.

Cross your fingers that this all works out, k?

I’ve now got absolutely – bar a couple of adapters. I have money and things to do, places to stay and see. Everything is paid and I have nothing to worry about. Erm, okay, maybe not the last one.

Check out my latest Japan-centric Boos after the jump!

Scary no? I’ve been planning this trip for eighteen months and suddenly, it’s nearly time to go. Just over six weeks remains until my epic trip of a lifetime begins.

Holy crap ….

So, I’ve started packing. Well technically not packing – I don’t have a suitcase yet – more putting stuff in a bag in one corner of my bedroom with the intention to pack. My new business cards came from Moo this week and I love them. I’ve sorted the travel insurance, got the e-ticket and my Japan Rail Pass. Now it’s just a matter of sorting loose ends. I’ve done the doctor’s for prescriptions, am headed to the dentist next week (expletive deleted), I’ve got contact lenses to buy as well as sorting the traveller’s cheques and cash.

Cheques and cash, well that’s where it gets interesting. It turns out that a lot of places (banks for example), no longer sell traveller’s cheques in yen. You can get them in sterling, dollars and Euros (ew!) but yen are becoming as rare as hens’ teeth. However after twenty minutes searching, I did find somewhere which sells them! Huzzah. What follows is the close watching of the exchange rates for the next week and then the mad purchasing of cash and cheques.

Unfortunately, I’ve also been shopping. Mainly for kitteh pheremony-stuff and clothes. I know, I know but I am going to need them. It’s little things like new pairs of PJs, trousers and t shirts. I still need to find/pick up some adapter plugs and some plane-sized, mega-expensive toiletries. What a life.

The odd thing though is that I keep coming across more things to see and do. I’m now re-reading my various guidebooks and actually READING them, noticing all the little things about places I want to see. Places like Kibune and Kurama, Arashiyama and Mitaka … At the end of the day, what I do and where I go depends on what happens during the group tour and while I know the itinerary, the specifics of what we’ll be doing and seeing still elude me.

I want to spend my time speaking as much Japanese as possible and learn the language by osmosis. I want to visit shrines and collect goshuin. I want to learn the concept of spontaneity (to some degree) as well as how to not do anything. I’m an anal control freak when it comes to things like this but I have a line to draw. While my inner travel planner is in full swing, another part of me wants to just go with the flow. So, if the mood takes me, I want to be able to say to myself ‘today I’m going to see xx or try yy’ and feel free to do it, even if this means just staying in bed or going to a sento.

From a purely cultural perspective though, I’m compiling a list. Right now it’s in my head and is no particular order either …. yes that is the inside of my brain.

I can’t believe it’s just over a month until I jet off for the Land of the Rising Sun though. I’m excited and so are my friends. I honestly hope this trip is all I dream it will be.

Time is ticking away and the JNTO has updated their site with guesstimates concerning the annual Sakura Front. As seeing sakura was one of my main reasons for wanting to go – and behind my decision to go in Spring – I’m paying close intention. Essentially the blooms start in the west and move across the country over six weeks or so and I’m hoping to be in Tokyo, Kyoto and Sendai at just the right time. That said, it’s a bit like predicting snow and not an accurate science. Still it’s going to be an amazing sight, I think.

Check out the Japan-related Boos after the jump and you can listen to all my Boos here.

Everything is falling into place. My flights are booked, as are several hotels (including a couple of amazing ryokan in Kyoto and Tokyo) and, this morning, my Exchange Order for a Japan Rail Pass arrived! The weird thing is, I’m now diligently reading a select number of guidebooks and I mean really reading them. I have four of them, which I intend to take them with me, and keep noting things to do and places I must see. Kamakura, Nara, Tenri, Osaka …

I have a file where I’m storing things like my hotel confirmation papers, my tickets and information on places like Koya-san. I have a good quality bag and journal to take with me, a fine camera and even a smaller backpack for daytrips. All I have left to do is book two more hotels and get some meishi designed and printed.

Wow, I really am going – and I can’t wait!

© Tetsu KARIYA, Akira HANASAKI/Shogakukan Inc.

It only feels like yesterday that VIZ announced its plans to release an a la carte menu of the finest chapters from the Japanese foodie manga Oishinbo. Each volume has been themed around a particular kind of Japanese food such as fish, ramen, sake, vegatables. The final two volumes focus on the rice, the most vital part of Japanese culture and cooking and the food of the izakaya, Japanese public houses.The saga of the Ultimate Menu and Yamaoka Shiro’s feud with his father Kaibara Yuzan continues, as does his romance with his coworker Kurito Yuko. The characterisation is touching but a little jarring given the chapters have been collected from numerous volumes.However we’ve met the characters through the proceeding five volumes so that they now feel like old friends so it’s easy to overlook this and get on with the manga.

Food remains the focal point of the books and each chapter really makes your mouth water. The volume focusing on rice, for example, teaches everything from how to make the perfect bowl of Japanese rice to delicious rice cakes. It also touches on the controversy in Japan about whether rice should be mixed with food (think the fried rice you get at a Chinese restaurant but with a lot more flare). However it also focuses on the adaptability of this staple grain and how Japanese cooking can be fused with other cooking to create a whole new taste sensation. As with other volumes, there’s a full colour recipe in the front and a short culinary essay from Kariya Tetsu which really adds depth to the series. It’s nice to have a chance to get inside the mind of authors, especially when they have a thing for food.

The final volume focuses on food served at Japanese pubs. It starts at the beginning with a chapter on edamame (which is often served as a bar snack) and beer, a huge staple of the izakaya. Japanese pubs are not like those found in the UK, they’re smaller more cosy affairs that served a select menu of tasty foods like fish and chicken, the latter often skewered and grilled. Indeed, when I head to Japan this April, trying out izakaya is top of my list and a cheap way to see the real Japan.

The only bad thing about volume seven is that it’s the final one. No more Oishinbo and it’s such a shame. The series is beautifully written, nicely drawn and with an overarching plot which manages to not only keep your interest, it also teaches you something. I can see why Japan has so many educational manga as it’s a lot more interesting than reading a cook book. It’s a down to earth series and realistic but also entertaining, even if the enmity between Shiro and Yuzan is sometimes a little full on. This is a series which really should be on the shelves of anyone interested in manga or Japanese cuisine. It’s should be a required text for anyone who’s planning on heading to Japan but wants to learn a bit about the food before they go.

Volume six of Oishinbo: A La Carte is out now. Volume seven will be released on 19th January.