Red Light District in Japan

Hey everyone! I uploaded a video I made about the red light district here in Hiroshima, Japan. I hope you find it interesting and enjoy the footage!  The district is called "Nagarekawa" for those of you who want to know.

Here is the youtube link of the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J1ipuknOPc

Riding the train into the HEART of Tokyo, Japan.

Here is a small and simple video I put together when I returned to Japan.  I am riding on the NEX or otherwise known as Narita Express from the Tokyo Narita Airport into the heart of Tokyo. I arrived at Tokyo Station in order to change onto the Shinkansen so I could make my way back to Hiroshima, Japan. Sorry for the shakiness...

At the end of the video you will see these ladies in pink outfits. Now if you have never taken the Shinkansen from Tokyo Station you will most likely not have seen this. The ladies in pink outfits are the cleaning ladies for the Shinkansen haha. Pretty cute I guess, but I kind of felt weird filming them haha... Oh well... ^_^

If you want the link to this video here you go:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64HvqzTSAmI


Hope you enjoy!

And with that, I'm out.
--Butterzz--

Japanese Toilet Fail

Here is a video of my friend and I attempting to work a Japanese toilet... Hmmmm

Japanese Toilet Fail

And with that, I'm out!
--Butterzz--

Rock Climbing in Arizona (Superstition Mountains)

Here is the first video I ever made. I used some funny, but cool footage of my friends and I climbing out in the Superstition Mountains, AZ. I hope you enjoy it!

If you want the link to the video just click below:

Rock Climbing in Arizona


And with that, I'm out.
--Butterzz--

WHAT YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT WHEN YOU TRAVEL TO MIYAJIMA

WHAT YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT WHEN YOU TRAVEL TO MIYAJIMA: (FOR FOREIGNERS) 

So Miyajimi Island is probably the most beautiful place I have been to... as of now. It has a lot of traditional Japanese culture that it has kept despite the fact that it is a constantly sought out tourist destination. There are lots of hidden places on the island that deserve to be checked out. While you could spend all day just near the port of the island, there is lots on the little island of Miyajima. So here is what you should check out when you travel to Miyajima. Also I will include a few things you should expect when you travel to Miyajima.

1) Deer:
So from the moment you step out of the ferry terminal you will most likely see deer. Yes, they are cute. Yes, I know you are going to want to pet them. However, just so you know, they WILL EAT ANYTHING you are carrying. If you are carrying food they will most def go after that, but I have seen them eat things like maps or even napkins. So be weary! They are cute, but will eat ANYTHING you have on you. (See pics below) ^_^

Here are some pictures I took of just a few Miyajima deer in their "natural" Miyajima habitat...

See... they look so cute.

BUT... they try to get into restaurants.

AND... they try to eat your food!

AND... They try to eat your children! (Just kidding, but kinda believable because of the picture, right? ^_^)

Lastly, the infamous paper that apparently tastes really good to them. 

2) Various Activities:
So there are lots of fun things to do on the island that aren't super advertised if you don't do your "travel researchy stuff" before you go.  So be sure to check out their website for all the activities that are available. So here you go... (Of course some of these must be scheduled).

• Fun activities to do on Miyajima Island:

1) Miyajima Aquarium (don't need to schedule)
- It costs money to get in, about 1400円 (roughly about $16) for adults... The prices vary depending on age.
- It is not a super huge aquarium. So don't expect to spend the whole day there.
- If you want to know more, the embedded link called "Miyajima Auqarium" below can tell you all about it:
Miyajima Aquarium

2) Learn about the making of rice scoops or as the Japanese call it, shakushi.  (Must schedule before hand)
- It costs about 300円 (roughly about $4) to learn how to make your own Shakushi.
- Also Miyajima has the world's largest shakushi. Be sure to check it out!
- If you want to know more click the embedded link titled "Shakushi Info" below:
Shakushi Info

*** 3) Make Momiji Manju in Miyajima  紅葉饅頭  (Must schedule before hand)
- It costs about 300円 (roughly about $4) to participate, which isn't much considering you get to keep the ones you make and they give you a souvenir that includes more Momiji manju.
- Now there are various places to make Momiji manju so you must do a little research before choosing because some are more expensive.
-Momiji manju is a small maple leaf-shaped cake that contain various fillings. The most famous being mashed sweet bean paste. If you have never tried it... You must! Momiji manju is really famous in Japan, especially in Hiroshima, and anyone who visits Hiroshima should try it.  Now the sweet bean paste can have different consistencies. My personal favorite one is the Koshian (smooth anko) which means the sweet bean paste is mashed to a really smooth consistency.
- There is lots of information about them on the web, but here is a short and to the point article talking more about momiji manju and its' history. So if you want to know more just click the embedded link below called "Blog About Momiji Manju":
Blog About Momiji Manju

(This is what the standard Momiji Manju looks like)

3) Ankoagemomiji:　餡子揚げ紅葉
Now since I didn't talk about Momiji enough here are more things you should know about Momiji on Miyajima Island. So the only place in the world you can get Agemomiji 揚げ紅葉 is on Miyajima. What is Agemomiji exactly? Well, besides being one of the most delicious things I have ever put in my mouth!. Just kidding... but no, really... it is seriously so delicious you can't even imagine! Okay, Agemomiji is fried momiji manju. It comes in only 3 flavors, which include: anko (sweet bean paste), cream, and cheese. Every single one of them is delicious, but my favorite is of course the Ankoagemomiji 餡子揚げ紅葉.  If you ever go to Miyajima you must try this. You can find it is various shops on the island, but mainly they are located on the big/narrow strip of souvenir shops and restaurants. I believe they cost about 200円 (roughly about $3).

4) Rope-way:
Now the rope-way is an optional, but a very scenic route to take to the top of the Mountain.  It is a good chance to take lots of pictures of the trees and the view is awesome. At the very tippidy top there is also a castle. I did not get a chance to make it to the castle because it is a bit of a walk from where you exit the rope-way and the wind was horrible the day I went.  So hopefully I can make another trip there soon to see the castle.
-The rope way costs about 1600円 (roughly about $18) for both ways.
- One way costs about 1000円 (roughly about $12) for one way.
- If you don't want to pay at all there are trails you can follow to the top.
- Also there are multiple trails with varying degrees of difficulty.

Here are some pictures I took while riding the rope-way:

5) Itsukushima Shrine:  厳島神社
Now I feel like I shouldn't have to say much about Itsukushima Shrine  厳島神社.  It is one of the most famous shrines in all of Japan.  It is beautiful and an absolute must see if you travel to Miyajima. It does have an admission fee, but it is well worth the money. It costs about 300円 (roughly about $4) to enter. If you are a foreign student and have the "HIC" card then it is free! Whoop whoop for being an exchange student! Upon entering the shrine you will get to take part in the traditional purification process, where you use the wooden ladle and cleanse your hands and mouth.

Here are a few pictures I took while at the Itsukushima Shrine  厳島神社:

6) Torii gate:
Now one of the most famous Torii gates in all of Japan is the one on Miyajima.  This is the torii gate you see in many pictures. It is the one that looks like it is floating on the water during high tide. You can see this as you make your way towards Itsukushima Shrine  厳島神社.

Here are a few pictures I took of the torii gate. The pictures are from different trips so they may look slightly different.

Here is a picture of me in front of the shrine. Not the best lighting for me, but the color of the water and the shrine looks cool. Also the boat full of people is a nice touch.

Far off shot of the torii gate. I took it while I was riding the ferry. This is a good picture because you can see just how big the torii gate actually is... 

8) Traditional Japanese Style Wedding:
Now when I went to Miyajima the first time there was a traditional Japanese-style wedding that was taking place that day. I have heard from many people that during the months that there is good weather many times there will be a wedding that takes place. So hopefully you will be as lucky as I was when I went.

Here are some pictures I managed to get of the wedding:

The picture above I thought was really funny. All of her friends were standing off to the side and I managed to snap the picture right when she stuck out her tongue. Haha perfect.

7) Daishou-In: 大聖院
 (Buddhist Temple)
This has to be one of my most favorite spots on all of Miyajima Island. Now I only went here during my mid-November trip. So I didn't get a chance to see it earlier on. However during the fall this is one of the most beautiful spots in all of Japan, I swear! It looks deceivingly plain from the outside, but once you enter and you start to walk up the long staircase to the top it is amazing. I can't stress enough how much I loved it there. It is located near the exit of the Itsukushima Shrine, so it is not hard to find. There is no admission fee.

Lastly, here are some beautiful shots I managed to capture while visiting Daishou-In 大聖院...

For more information about "touristy things" on Miyajima or just simply the history, visit the website called "japan-guide". That site is always good to use when researching tourist information about Japan. They can also hook you up with Japanese pen pals and other fun stuff. Or you can just click the embedded link below titled "More About Miyajima" to find out about additional goodies on Miyajima.
More About Miyajima


I hope that all of this information was helpful! All of the suggestions in this blog post are my own personal opinions. So please take this information with a grain of salt. It may not be super consistent with others' opinions on the internet, but I have been there a few times now and this is just simply what I recommend.  Hope you enjoy!

And with that, I'm out.
--Butterzz--

What You Should Know About Traveling Around in Tokyo, Japan

What to Expect When You Go to Tokyo (FOR FOREIGNERS)

So before I left for Japan some people who had been to Japan told me it was super easy to get around Tokyo even if you didn't know Japanese. Well I have been studying Japanese for a while now and boy where they wrong.

1) The Trains:
The most difficult part was the trains. They were confusing as hell! Now once you were inside the train station it was all good, there was English everywhere. However, before getting inside the train station you had to pick a place to go in order to select your train ticket. Now this is the hard part, everything is in Kanji. There was no English anywhere on that map which made it insanely difficult to figure out which ticket to purchase. So be sure to map out where you are going and figure out the corresponding Kanji so you can save yourself the hassle.

2) Katakana:
Now another thing that may not be so easy, but is sure helpful, is to know a little Japanese. A good portion of menu items, name of places/people and other random things are written in katakana. Now hiragana and katakana is much much much easier to learn since you have less than 100 symbols for each particular syllabary. Whereas learning Kanji will take years and years of practice since there are thousands of them and many different readings for each one.  Ughhh, 漢字はめんどうくさいな！(For those of you who don't know Japanese, that says "Kanji is a pain in the ass!")

3) Credit Cards:
Make sure to inform your credit card companies that you are traveling outside the U.S. to Japan so you don't get stuck over there with no money, because we all know that would be unfortunate haha. Anyways, also know this... Japan is a cash society. Most transactions are done in cash. So if at all possible just make it to the nearest ATM and pull out a lot of cash right when you get to Japan because you don't want a ton of withdrawal fees or just credit card fees for constantly using your card.

4) Lack of Internet:
Now another pretty vital thing to know is that you most likely won't be able to find wifi anywhere. I mean yes you can find it, but it is a serious pain in the ass to get. Also once you find a place that has wifi, most likely it isn't free. So be prepared if you are trying to meet people to try and make plans to meet them at the airport right when you get there or make up a place ahead of time.  Also give yourself ample time to figure out where you are going and what not if you set up a time to meet.

Lastly, here are some pictures I took of a few random things when I was in Tokyo.

And with that, I'm out.

--Butterzz--

The Most Beautiful Place on Earth... Butters's Experience on Miyajima Island in Japan

Now this was my second trip to Miyajima. My first being soon after I arrived in Japan, it must have been some time in late September. However, this second trip I took about mid-November, and it was much prettier than the time before.  The trees had just starting changing colors and there were a lot less people. Unfortunately the weather was terrible! Yes it was starting to get pretty cold in Japan, but the wind... oh that god damn wind. Anyways, the pictures turned out amazing and I have so many I want to share, but there is no way I can upload that many to this blog post haha. So I hope you enjoy the few that you do get to see. ^_^

I really hope to take a trip back there in the Spring so that I can get pictures of all the cherry blossoms and what not. If you have ever debated going to Miyajima you should just go, it is by far one of the most beautiful places on earth. It has yet to disappoint anyone I know.

P.S.- Oh and Miyajima has bomb-ass food. Just sayin....

And with that, I'm out.
--Butterzz--