ByrdieRose~!

New Year's Eve

Hey y’all! So… Guess who got sick overseas? It moi. Between the constant changes in temperature, all the running around I’ve been doing, and also failing to stay hydrated, I picked up some sort of virus while I was in Kyoto. It’s really put me through the wringer, but I’m starting to feel better thanks to some antibiotics my uncle prescribed me (he’s a doctor dw). Also, Japan has some really innovative cold supplements - they have hot lemon-honey tea in some vending machines, and I’ve been surviving off of this kind of jelly pouch with a whole bunch of vitamins in it (as well as some cold and flu Panadol, and the aforementioned antibiotics). I’m kinda jealous that Australia doesn’t have those vitamin jellies - they’d be excellent for people who can’t swallow, and for little kids as a fun way to stay healthy. Oh yeah, I’m back in Tokyo - we left Kyoto yesterday, and we’re just hanging around until our flight from Narita. It means I’m gonna be in the air between NYE and NYD, and I’ll probably have to spend NYD in bed trying to sleep off this bug, but y’know, at least I got to spend some extra time in japan about it. I was feeling a bit emotional about it last night cause I definitely got my mom sick too (and I’m on my period - talk about having every status condition lol), and I really wanted to end the trip on a high note. Speaking of, let me catch you up to speed on the past two days.

Sunday morning I woke up bright and early (despite the cold), and took a 15 minute walk to the Cooking Sun workshop. It was me and a family of 7 doing the class - our instructors were super helpful. I learned how to make a proper kind of Japanese bento - we made dashi broth, Spinach salad, sushi, teriyaki chicken, tempura shrimp and vegetables, and some miso soup! We got to eat our creations after. I had so much fun doing this, despite being sick, and I’m so glad I was able to do it. I need to remember to do more workshops like this whenever I’m away. Also the food was delicious hehehe.

I headed back to the apartment for a short rest after that, then got a taxi to Kinkaku-ji - the golden pavilion, a super popular heritage destination in Kyoto. It’s a Buddhist temple covered in gold leaf, which has existed since the 14th century. There are two notable parts of its history - during the Ōnin war, all the buildings surrounding the pavilion were burnt down, so now only the temple gates and the pavilion itself can be seen, as well as some water features, statues and smaller shrines around the temple grounds. In 1955, the tower itself was burnt down, after a monk tried to commit suicide. The current pavilion was reconstructed shortly after the incident, and is supposed to be an accurate recreation of the original building. It is absolutely stunning to see in person - it gleams no matter the weather. IT was pretty crowded though - due to it being a weekend and a holiday period. Nevertheless, I’m still glad I got to go see it. Maybe I’ll get to see it again someday, as well as the other sights of Kyoto…

I don’t really remember much of that night - I was mostly trying to sleep off the illness in time for us to travel. I think I got some food from 7/11. But Monday rolled around and I honestly felt even worse than the day before. No time for complaining tho - we had a train to catch. We thankfully got to the station early and I was able to swipe some souvenirs, but god, really don’t remember anything other feeling like crap. I did get to have a fruit salad sandwich though, which was seriously tasty (although it was very heavy on the cream, and I would’ve liked more strawberries). When I got to the hotel, I was really feeling awful - I just wanted to eat and go to sleep, but I was in pain due to period cramps, and I was finding it really difficult to eat due to my sore throat. I just had to knock myself out and sleep. Which brings us to now - sitting in a Cinnabon in Roponggi, typing this out as I wait for our evening flight.

I’ve really enjoyed this trip, even if it ended kinda sour. I think at the end of the new year, I’d like to do some personal travel - provided I’ve got the money for it. I’m not really sure where I’d want to go, although knowing the price of overseas travel, it’ll probably be something domestic. Maybe to Western Aus? Or the gold coast? I’m pretty excited for next year; I’m gonna be going back to full time work, which means I’ll have more structure in my life again. I’m hoping to find some new hobbies, and pick up some old ones - I want to pick up the harp again, and maybe try boxing as a way to stay fit. And because I can structure my time again, and have some disposable income, it means I’ll feel comfortable going on dates again. I’m excited to be more flexible with my finances, and to be able to help my friends and community again.

I think that’s all for now. Not sure if I’ll have another entry before I leave, or if I’ll write anything once I’m back home, but thank y’all for coming on this trip with me. I love you, and I hope that 2025 is full of hope, health, and happiness for you and yours. Catch y’all later!

The Wood Blocks, and Love in Gion

I can't believe it's the last weekend of 2024 already! It was suuuuper cold in Kyoto today; not cold enough for snow, but I was all rugged up. Let me catch y'all up to speed.

The hotel we're staying at is super comfortable, and not too far from a buddhist temple - I'm hoping I can check it out before we leave. I have a whole stove, and a bath, and even a washing machine in my room! I'm sharing it with my younger cousin - she's super cool.

We had a plan for dinner last night but it was a cash only establishement, so my family decided to wander around until we found somewhere else to eat. We were walking for a long time - I was feeling pretty grouchy by the time we found a restaurant. It was some kind of western place - a "cafe and meat bar". The poor place was super understaffed, and it's a holiday period in japan, so it also took a long time for us to get our food. It was nice though - not standout, but the staff was lovely and doing the best they could.

While we were walking back to the hotel, we passed through some back streets with shrines and markers. I didn't get a good look at the shrine we passed, but it was so interesting seeing it there, hanging out among the other buildings - some modern, some older. Some further research told me it was Shimabara Sumiyoshi shrine, which is the relocation of another shrine, dedicated to the guardian deity of Shimabara. I really wanted to read more while I was there, but I was freezing and wanted to head back to the hotel to warm up.

When we got to a more populous area, we started hearing the sound of wood blocks being clicked, three times. Click, click, click. It was distant, but pretty eerie. However, the noise started to get closer the closer we got to the hotel. We were all a little scared about what it was until we saw some people in construction gear, walking down a dark alley, carrying a wood block instrument. Click, click,click. 'Ok', I thought, 'They must be clearing people out of the area to do some work.'. Then, they started tailing us from a distance. I wasn't too concerned because we were together, but man, the clicking sound was spooky. Click, click, click..... HOooooooooooOOOOOOOOOT! A high pitch, wailing horn was sounded. I was pretty on edge, but I didn't react - just focusing on how much I wanted to warm up in the apartment. Eventually we turned a corner, and the construction workers kept to the main road. In the distance, they were still clicking the wood blocks, intermittently. Click, click, click.

I was really scrambling to figure out what they were - maybe I was right the first time, and they were clearing the area to do some construction? Maybe they were plainclothes police, trying to intimidate a criminal further ahead of us? Maybe it was just ritual? Turns out, the sound of wood blocks are a public service announcement that dates all the way back to the 17th century in Kyoto - it's a warning to the nearby houses to make sure their fires are out before they go to sleep. Learning that was awesome! And it gave me some perspective into the kinds of things people associate with fear, and with safety - here I was, a foreigner, hearing the sound of woodblocks and getting unsettled just due to how unusual it was, while supposedly everyone who has lived in this area of Kyoto hears the wood blocks and either ignores it, or makes sure their stoves are off for the night. I'm so grateful to have been where I was at that time - I am grateful to have been scared, and to have learned from it.

I ended the day with a nice warm bath - I don't usually take baths, but the amenities were there and I decided to say Fuck it, I'm on holiday and I'm freezing, put me in the tub. I don't think I fully. got the hang of the small tub, but I really enjoyed that bath. I fell asleep pretty much immediately afterwards.

In the morning, after some deliberation some vending machine coffee, and an egg sandwich, we decided to buy some tickets to do a bus tour of kyoto. Or we would have, but we ended up getting off at Nijo castle, realised we couldn't see the gardens due to the holiday season, and waited at the bus stopp for a while. Thankfully we were close to a subway, so we caught a train to Gion and wandered around the area for a bit. It was absolutely gorgeous - we passed through a super old and ornate street, with another shrine nearby - this was Tatsumi Daimyojin shrine. There was a long river aqueduct running through the area, which lots of people were taking pictures near. I don't blame them - if there was one word I would use to describe the place, it would be picturesque!

We got lunch at a place with hotplates at the tables. I saw they had okonomiyaki, so I got myself a seafood-filled one. It was delicious! We ordered a lot of food though, and some of the stuff we ordered was pretty expensive... It was so fun grilling stuff on the hotplates though! I ended off the meal with some frozen strawberries that were filled with vanilla ice cream (ingenious!). They were so cold and so tasty.

We did some mroe walking around Gion, back up the other way through Tatsumi bridge. I didn't take any pictures cause I didn't want to be disrespectful, but we went into this gorgeous shop that made artisinal watches. They were all so beautiful... If I had the money, or if I actually wore watches, I absolutely would've gotten one. There were some that ran anti-clockwise, which I whought were super unique.

And after a quick stop at 7/11 for some cash, and a cab ride back, I'm now back at the hotel, and probably preparing to go out again to get some more dinner and snacks at the nearby FamilyMart. I had something running thorugh my head today, which I haven't been able to think about for a while. I'm not partnered right now, and I'm really hoping to change that in the new year, with me going back to work and being in the city so much more often, but I see myself being married one day, and hopefully having at least one kid, and I sort of decided that I'd love to come back and see Japan on my own terms as part of a honeymoon. I mean, I already have plans to go to Hokkaido with my brother, and tour around for a month (once I have the money), but I'd also like to do something by myself, and I think it would not only be romantic, but deeply fun - I love being able to immerse myself in the culture, I want to have time to learn japanese, I want to see this place in the summer, I want to be able to enjoy the places built for couples. I want to have an experience that's truly my own. I've liked being with my family, and I love my little cousins. But we all run at different paces, and it makes it difficult to document things the way I want, and see the things I want to see... It's good to be hopeful about love. I hope who ever she is, she enjoys it as much as I do.

Oh yeah! Tomorrow is my cooking lesson! The izakaya class was either fully booked or not running due to the New Year period, so instead I'll be making some bento dishes! I can't wait to try them out when I get home. Ok, catch ya later!

Boxing Day and Onwards to Kyoto

Hey y’all! Didn’t get to post about yesterday - I did waaaaaaay too much and didn’t get an opportunity to post about it. At the time of writing this, I’m on the Shinkansen to Kyoto! So let me catch you up to speed.

We started off yesterday trying to find a place to eat. After a lot of searching and indecision, we ended up in a European kinda art-deco specialty coffee shop called Shu. I had some really tasty omurice with a chicken pilaf, and an iced earl grey tea (part of a set). I’ll be honest, the interior design reminded me a lot of some of the scenes from Ace Attorney. It’s probably just the mahogany furniture and gold accents.

There’s a place close to where we were staying in Shinjuku called Game Taito - I initially thought it was a place to buy old electronics. Turns out it was a huge, multi-floor arcade of claw machines and other chance-games! The ground floor was mostly plushes (including a corridor of Pokémon plushes), but there were some keychains and snacks around as well. I didn’t get to play any of them cause my family was on kind of a time limit, but it was still cool to look at. Plus I could spend my money elsewhere.

I spent the rest of the day in Shibuya, and caught up with my cousins again. Now, one of the things I absolutely wanted to do while I was here was to find a Pokémon center and get some merch. The one in Shibuya has a statue of Mewtwo in a tube out the front. Everyone wanted its picture (even me hehehehe). The inside was stacked with pokemon merch. I got a little overwhelmed! Partially cause of all the stuff, and cause there were soooooo many people there as well.

We could only stay for an hour - my dad made a booking at a pig cafe he’d heard about a while back. Now I said before that I wasn’t super keen on animal cafes because the way they treat their animals is pretty hit-and-miss, but apparently the reviews on this place were pretty good. The cafe was pretty clean, the pigs were kept in fairly spacious pens with siblings paired together (I think - deducing from their birthdays), and there were places the pigs could escape to if they felt unsafe. All the pigs were about 8 months old, and there was a poster in the front of the cafe that said every pig that graduates ends up at a farm owned by the same people that run the cafe. I was still a bit concerned about the pigs - while they were pretty cuddly and got quite relaxed in your lap, they were displaying a lot of rooting behaviours as well. The lady at the front desk reassured us that they do that when they feel relaxed, but I wonder if they were hungry…. I wanted to buy some treats for them, but didn’t get the chance.

Once we were done, we headed to the Shibuya scramble crossing - my aunt wanted to take some photos of us there. Then we split up again, and my brother and I headed back to the Pokémon center. We spent some more time there, collecting more and more merch and cards, and even got to make some custom tshirts! Since my birthday was this month, I even got an exclusive code for some mythical Pokémon (I haven’t redeemed it yet!) I kinda burned through my cash - it’s ok tho, I have other options, so I can still get my friends their souvenirs hehehe!

My dad found a restaurant that his best friend recommended, so we ate there for dinner. It was izakaya, and a fully set menu. While the food was super tasty, and I like the experience of izakaya, I think I would’ve enjoyed it more if I had gone alone or with one other person - conversation was really hard when you’re stretched out across a couple of bar stools in a very small restaurant. Also, I felt a little uncomfortable about the decor.

But that’s not where the story ends - after a short break back at the hotel, we went back across the street and met up with my cousins again for karaoke! And we were at it for sooooo long! We started at 8 and ended up going til nearly midnight! I really belted out some songs, and it was great getting everyone singing together. Plus they were serving Sapporo beer on tap, which was delicious.

And that did it for Boxing Day! I got to sleep in a little bit this morning, since checkout wasn’t until 11. I ended up getting a pokéball donut and some coffee for breakfast (in a very in-character move for me). Then we grabbed out bags and took a taxi to the Shinkansen station in Tokyo. And now here I am!

I’m actually really excited for Kyoto, probably more than Tokyo - There’s just so much to do in Tokyo and the surrounding region that it gets overwhelming. And my family really knows how to pack our days. I’m hoping to find some more quiet, solitary moments in Kyoto. Oh! And I found a cooking class! I’ll be learning a bunch of izakaya dishes!

Anyway, I think that’s all from me for now. If we do anything cool later today I’ll do an update tonight. Otherwise, I guess I’ll catch y’all later!

(PS - Still trying to figure out why my pics aren’t showing up on the page - will troubleshoot if I get a spare moment)

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time

Merry Christmas and happy holidays everyone! I hope y'all had a great day. Shinjuku was bright and sunny this morning.

Started off the day in Denny's of all places. Met up with my cousin's. We then took a walk through shinjuku-chuo park.

Then we got on a train and went to Ginza. We found this store full of startups and new tech - seriously cool! We did some more looking and shopping around Ginza, and I bought a new coat (I've been needing one for a while), and we got a snack at a beer restaurant.

After that we went back to the hotel for a rest, and then we ended off the night at, of all places, a place that serves Philly cheesesteaks!

That was a very busy Christmas - I’m pretty exhausted, so I’ll be signing off here. If I get some time tomorrow, I’ll be sure to flesh out the details. Catch y’all later!

And Welcome To Japan

So we've finally landed in Narita, 9 and a half hours later. They fed us really well on the plane thankfully, and the food was actually pretty nice. Didn’t get much sleep tho…

Queens - a docuseries about matriarchal species in different parts of the world. A little bit too "mother god/girlboss" energy, but pretty entertaining - I've started watching documentaries less for the animal facts and more to analyse framing devices and biases, and I felt like the storylines were pretty compelling. It was also cool to see some more unusual subject for an animal documentary, like or hid bees and leafcutter ants. I got through about 5 episodes before I decided to stop.

Snakes and arrows - my brother and I played snakes and arrows together! I forgot how much I like the game, even if it's infuriating to get in a snake loop.

Crafting mama - I was looking for a cooking mama rom and saw this one first. It's pretty much the same game - you're just making arts and crafts instead of food. Very fun, even if I still feel bad when mama says "mama will do it for you" :(

Chrono trigger - I've been playing chrono trigger on and off for about a year. This time I got out of the central dome, and checked out the abandoned sewers. Then I got lost and went to the other side of the map before realising I could get to site 32. I'm still in an encounter technically - the joys of the Nintendo 3ds …

As we were coming into the airport, I couldn't help but think about how vast Japan truly is, even as an island. Sure it's a smaller land mass than Australia, but even from above, aided by the curvature of the earth, it's huge. And everyone on it is living their independent lives. In the same way that I feel that every place is just like everywhere else, I am also always in awe of how many infinitely strange and wonderful stories are happening, oceans away. Or maybe I was just a bit jet-loopy.

We got off the plane, went through customs, and grabbed our bags. I have a Sim card for mobile data now as well. Then we boarded the train! Love public transport. We arrived at Shinjuku station, and caught a taxi to the hotel. I tried taking some photos on the train but they didn't look good, so I got some when we arrived in Shinjuku.

Overall feeling pretty pleasant, if tired. I'm also so ready to eat this egg sandwich. But that's been my trip so far! Tomorrow I'll tell you all about how I spent Christmas. Happy Christmas Eve, and catch ya later!

(PS - The egg sandwich was absolutely delicious)

24/12/2024

Come On And Slam

Christmas Eve starts bright and early - had to be out of the room by 6:40, so we didn’t miss our shuttle. Slept surprisingly well! We got in and out of border security in record time too, which I’m very grateful for. Our flight is at 9:30am - it's currently 8-ish, So I have some time to get some breakfast. I had some fruit and pastries from the lounge, and some coffee.

Thinking on the things I’d like to do while I’m away - I’m most excited about Kyoto, where I’m hoping to see the golden pavilion and hopefully attend a cooking class (possibly mochi-making? Or something savoury… Would love to learn to make sukiyaki… mmmmm….). I bet Kyoto looks gorgeous in the white gown of winter.

I’m also excited for my time in Tokyo, but tbh, there’s just so much to do that it’s hard to nail done what I want to do. Like, I want to visit a Pokémon center because, of course, but I’m really not too sure of what else I’d like to see. Maybe I’ll find some place that sells cheap electronics? I’m not too keen on visiting an animal cafe cause I’ve heard mixed reviews about how they treat their animals….

I’m a little worried about the flight, cause my headphones aren’t the best for noise-cancelling and it might get painful to listen to the plane engine. Also, while I‘ve got some games to keep me company, I forgot to download any shows. So I guess I’ll be playing Chrono Trigger on my 3ds for the next 8 hours…

That’s really all I can chat about for now. I’ll be updating again once I land - I hear there’s a 7/11 egg sandwich in my future. Catch ya later!

(PS - not sure why my pics aren't being displayed - will have to troubleshoot later.)

23/12/2024

The Journey Begins!

Spent most of today packing my stuff (I was procrastinating on it by making this website (oops)). I haven’t packed much, which means I’ve got room for souvenirs!

I’m writing this from the hotel room near the airport. I met up with my family here - since the flight is early tomorrow, it made more sense for us to get a room for the night. We had some surprisingly nice Italian food in the hotel restaurant, and I got some really interesting ice cream for dessert - fior de latte, topped with sea salt and olive oil? I’d love to learn how to make it - cheese ice cream never occurred to me before…

Anyway, I have to sign off - it’s already late, and I need to be up bright and early. Catch ya tomorrow!

22/12/2024

Holiday's Eve

Usually my family stays in for Christmas. This year, however, we are meeting up with extended family in Japan. I'll be driving to the airport tomorrow to leave on Tuesday morning (Christmas eve). We're gonna be spending 3 days in tokyo and 3 days in kyoto (My family are staying an extra day - hopefully I can get home in time for New Years Eve...) I'd better get back to packing!