End of the Honeymoon...

Well what is there to say that hasn't been said? Oh wait I have not updated my blog in a terribly long time nor have I even finished telling the stories I began months ago. Now we all know that I am not an individual that is one to let things slide or go incomplete so without further ado the 4th and final installment of my 1st trip to Japan.

Osaka-jo.

I woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and excited. Today was to be the day I went to Himeji-jo. The famed White Heron, (a historic Japanese castle). Before I could go and see the penultimate example of Japanese Castle architecture I felt that I should visit one of the lesser castles for comparisons sake. It was thus that I went to Osaka-jo or as we would call it Osaka Castle.

Osaka Castle has had an unfortunate history, it has been burned down several times during its long life and now is a ferrocrete reconstruction from the pre-WW2 era. That is not to say that it is not without its charm, but it is sad to see all the modernized machinery in what is supposed to be a timeless relic. I will admit that Osaka-jo is an impressive sight and has a very nice park set about it. After exploring the castle and the museum located inside I felt it was time to move to one of the major reasons I wanted to visit Japan in the first place. Himeji-jo. As I was leaving the castle grounds I was compelled to enter a building because of banshee-like screaming emanating from its halls.

A view of the bailey.

After watching some of the Kendo demonstration I knew it was time to go and find the train to Himeji. A quick stop to mail some post cards (I'd have mailed all of them but I lost some of the addresses.) and I was off to Osaka station to take the slow train to happiness er Himeji.... On the train I made sure that I was on the coastal side because the tracks passed beneath one of the greatest testaments to human achievement and architecture the Akashi-Kaikyo bridge. The bridge is the worlds largest suspension bridge and is an incredible sight to behold. Once we passed the bridge I was finally on the home stretch...only 45 minutes away from the White Heron. That was until tragedy struck.

Ladies and gentlemen the world's largest suspension bridge.

Well tragedy might be over playing it a bit but there was drama nonetheless. The train that I was on began to slow down, and eventually came to a stop one before my scheduled departure zone. I assumed the delay was nothing out of the ordinary and happily thought about my impending nirvana. I was wrong, as it turned out the train was being stopped and sent back to Osaka due to inclement weather. I had no idea what weather would stop a train, but I was forced to miss out on Himeji-jo, head back to Osaka empty handed or attempt to find an alternative land route not knowing anything about the region I was in. Naturally I opted for the castle. Luckily as I was leaving the station I managed to get a glimpse of the castle way off in the distance several miles away. With the general direction in mind I set out on foot. As any good pilgrimage would have I created a song to celebrate my travels and put it all into perspective. The tune was "Hi Ho" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and largely had me repeating "Hi ho hi ho I'm off to Himeji-jo". While I received my share of stares I would gladly "suffer" them again to be back in Himeji-jo. Of course not knowing the direction or location of my destination was not enough of an obstacle I had to add in a pinch of failing light and the castle closing in 2 hours to speed me on my trail. I managed to find the castle grounds with about 45 minutes left and was given free entry into grounds. I would say more about it, but I am going to let the pictures speak for themselves.

You can just make out the castle in the distance perched among the hills.

A picture of the castle grounds taken from just across a small stream.

A southerly view of the White Heron.

Yours truly at the base of the battlements.

A small path looking up at the main structure.

A view from the top of the castle.

Overlooking the inner courtyard.

After being fully sated and happy at my time in Himeji-jo I turned back to the trains and headed for Kobe, where I was to eat my last Japanese meal. Kobe Beef. Suffice it to say it was a delicious experience that was worth every yen I spent on it. While I was there I had a lovely conversation these two spanish newlyweds who thought I was an Spaniard as well.

My $100 dollar steak.

After the delightful meal it was time for my last night out in Japan. I found a really cool hole-in the wall where this couple were bartending. We befriended eachother and had a wonderful night drinking, dancing having fun, only it ended with domestic abuse, me in the police station trying to file a claim, and me being unwilling to except that it's "just how it is in Japan". So that was the end of my trip. A thrilling week filled with mystique, merriment, awe, beauty, and ending with ugliness and sadness. Will I be back, oh of course I will, because how can you not return to the most beautiful place one the planet, when its only a short plane ride away.

Until later pasties.
Will Out

Oh my the last year has been something to speak of...

Hello Pasties,

It has been far far far far far too long since we last spoke and I can understand how the drive behind reading my blog has dissipated. I do wish to convey that the past 8 weeks have been the busiest in my life and I somehow have managed to come out ahead. I am certain fate will be rearing his ugly head again soon. There is so much to tell and I do promise that I will be doing so in the coming days.

I will give you bullets now.

I have a job and thus will be staying in korea for the foreseeable future.
I will be going for my black belt in tae kwon doe and I am very excited by the prospect.
I have finished my first year of teaching with much sadness about my departure, I know this will end soon but as of now I feel very sad that I am not at school with my friends and students.

More on my life soon.
Will " Oh wait I have a blog" Dunkel

Korean Businessmen are a hoot!

Happy New Year from Country and Charlie, and yours truly! May you all have a blessed 2010 and a time matching my fantastical 2009.

So today I went out to dinner with my new co-teacher Charlie a fresh off the plane Canadian. It was interesting for a variety of reasons not the least being that we were wined and dined by a group of Korean men. So they paid for dinner and that is always a plus. I must go for now because Bohnanza is a calling. Until next pasties!

Will out

Sam was right.

I have to admit to a few things, first that I am staying in Asia for the foreseeable future (pretty sure everyone saw that coming). Second, that December is the worst month of the year, but at least New Years kicks off a fantastic month, but thirdly and more importantly, I wish to congratulate my brother for his incredible foresight. He predicted it would be a truly monumental year and I have to admit that he was right, so Sam here is your moment from me. Other than that I must go to bed, as per usual I am exhausted and have a lot of things to do. I am learning how to Snowboard tomorrow as it seems like a fun New Year's Holiday. I have many things to update people about and I will be doing so in an immediate fashion. Until then pasties...

Will "Anyangikaseyo" Dunkel out.

Halloween thoughts in December

So I have become a little unhinged of late or so it would seem. It has been cold and snowy here in Daejeon as the year draws closer to an end. I have realized that I have not done any of the things I had mentioned I would try to do. I wish I had a better reason other than general fatigue and laziness. It is now almost Christmas and almost a month since my last post. It is really inexcusable my lackadaisical behavior, so I will give a few little nuggets of my life for your viewing fodder.

My 6 year old has a gun fetish. His parents wonder why he is always a great student.

Silly Hippie fighters...

Oh no! It's David the Power Ranger! Run Hippy run!

Well so it goes for the wayward Hippie fighters.

Until next time pasties...
Will "dead hippy" Out

My stolen thought of the day.

Get busy living or get busy dying.

Also should I be alarmed that I have been reading Ender's game and I think it might make me a more capable teacher?

Will out.

Happy Pepero Day!

Greetings Past dwellers! Hope all is going well. Just dropping into discuss some of the more interesting events that happened in the past weeks. First and foremost was Pepero day! Pepero day is a largely shameless marketing ploy by the Pepero cookie company. They make these oddly delicious cookies (Korean Pocky) that look like the number 1. If you put enough of them in a row it looks like 11/11, so thus Veterans day is a day to celebrate cookies in Korea. All in all it was a great day with my little children giving my candy at various points of the day. My favorite though was when my Taekwan doe Gwanjang-nim, handed a box of them to me while bowing and saying "I love you." Truly a fantastic place, this Korea.

In other news, I have begun the arduous process of planning what to do in the future now that I only have 4 months left. I want to stay in Korea but I am having difficulty in figuring out exactly what I want. I mean I love Daejeon, but I want to learn Korean and I have little drive to do so in this city. Also, I want to find a job that allows me to teach Kindergarten children because I really love my time with the little ones, they just have such robust personalities. All in all I have too much to decide and it is leaving me with a feeling of being overwhelmed by choices. I need to just look at them and decide one at a time and then go from there. Until then I will fret about all the uncertainty that is my life. I would bemoan this fact but it is the nature of life, plus choice is a good thing perhaps the best of things.

Until later pasties
Will "He freak out? Nah, probably not" Dunkel out

From Uji to Osaka

A trip to Kyoto isn't a trip if you don't find your way down to Nara, the Japan. If you can recall (as it was months ago) I had been up for all night and I was trudging along on very little sleep. I had another ambitious day planned before me. I was to make a stop in Uji to go and see the Byodo-in the Phoenix Hall, one of the more beautiful temples in Japan. From there I was to head to a different train station and continue onto Nara and the collections of temples and shrines, not to mention an ethereal forest. It was a great idea for someone with a full amount of energy, I was decidedly lacking and was riding purely on my Japanophile adrenalin. So without further ado, here are some of the more beautiful spots in Japan.

A bridge in Uji that apparently has significant historical importance...

...and here is the actual bridge of historical significance, I told you I was tired.

The Byodo-in, one of the few remaining Pure Land Buddhism temples in Japan.

Over 900 years old and so beloved it is on the 10 yen piece (dime) of Japan.

Wouldn't be a temple without gardens.

Another image illustrating my exhaustion. A train stop in nowhere Japan. I swear this had meaning when I took it. Unfortunately I cannot for the life of me remember what...

Finally I arrived in Nara after a long train ride (I missed the first train). After putting my belongings in a locker, (nice to be in a country not terrified of strangers) I trudged up the hill and began to explore Nara proper. There were two main temples, Kofuku-ji (pictured here) and Todai-ji, the world's largest wooden building. All across the land were these indigenous deer known as Sika deer that were protected and cultivated by the monks throughout the ages, because they were viewed as the messengers of the gods. They managed to put me in stellar spirits as it is on rare occasions you get to pet live divine messenger deer.

My adoration of pagoda's continues. Kofuku-ji has the second tallest pagoda in Japan. It is only inches shorter than To-ji's pagoda.

Deer eats lunch of an unsuspecting tourist.

This just cracks me up.

The main gate to Todai-ji housing two of the master Sculptor Unkei's masterpieces.

26 feet tall and prone to overt violence Agyo is here to protect the Buddha.

Across the way from the malevolent Agyo is his friend Ungyo, He symbolizes latent strength.

Here is the world's largest wooden building. Originally built in 751 it burnt down twice over the years. After the second maelstrom, the builders decided to make it 30% smaller than the original. They did that and it still is overwhelming. Possibly the most colossal structure I have ever witnessed. Maybe since it is made of traditional pieces and not iron and steel, who knows.

Requisite posing at the Daibutsu hall.

Inside the world's largest wooden building is the world's largest Buddha. Who'd have thought...

The left is the original, the right is the present building.

It was after seeing the massive sights of Todai-ji that I seriously thought about calling it quits and heading to Osaka for some much needed sleep. I was beat, and possibly templed out which is astonishing considering my resolve and interest in that particular area. I decided after resting at one of the gardens that I should persevere and fully explore Nara and the wondrous forest that surrounded the temples. I am glad I did, for it may have been the most beautiful place of all.

A field of a Sika deer.

A Shinto Shrine nestled in the woods and the mountains, the silence was stunning. Allowed for contemplation previously unsought of for myself. It was here that I began to realize that I might not be returning stateside for a long, long, time.

A point and click masterpiece?

One washes the hands and then approaches the shrine.

I am in love with Torii as well.

After exploring the forest for a few hours and thinking my thunks, I ran into this Irish man, who really managed to put a lot of life into perspective for me. His Japanese was stellar and reminded me how travelling alone offers certain experiences that do not exist to groups. We explored the rest of Nara until we ran out of sunlight, and it was only right before we parted ways that we exchanged pleasantries. It is an odd thing to think about the life of friendships. I used to believe that relationships with people should be cultivated into life-long friendships in which every detail is eventually shared and experienced as a collective thought. Now I realize that is a backwards and incorrect way to look at friendships and relationships in general. Many friendships will have a short life-span, that is not to say that they are worthless but that they serve their own unique purpose. I am certain that I will never meet him again, I have since forgotten his name (Chris?) but I believe that our kinship was genuine. Maybe that is all that is required in some relationships? Who knows? Surely, not I. More on this later perhaps.

The nameless Irishman.

After sunset I took the train from Nara to Osaka. I was fully exhausted by this point and set out with one goal in mind. Find my futuristic capsule hotel amid a city of 5 million. After a few hours I did finally find it. I am slightly ashamed to admit that I just crashed and went to bed and missed out on all of the famed Osaka night-life. I may not have missed that much as the next night was to be the end of the honeymoon, and the shocking return to reality. All things end right?

Well with that I end the 3rd of four installments of my initial trip to Japan. To rate my feelings at this moment in time would be really in the Stratosphere. I really felt like I had come home, and I hope that the feeling comes back again sometime soon. Until next time past dwellers....

Will "So far in the future it takes him months to recount his adventures" Dunkel out

Fish fishy fish!

This has been a very weird month for me, I have had almost 3 weeks off from work and have largely felt like I don't know what is going on in my immediate future. With a small of amount of insecurity (the first time I've felt this in 7 months) I decided I needed to do something drastic. Luckily for me and my impulses my friends steered me in the right direction. I am now the proud owner of 5 fish! Tiger, Basel, Fujin, Raijin, and Mashita (Korean word for delicious). Well I thought being the bread winner to a colorful group of fishy friends. Well as luck would have it I am now only the bread winner of 2 fish. Fujin, Raijin (the gods of Wind and Thunder) died when they got sucked into the filter, while the cause of death of Mashita is still being investigated. So that's what my drastic impulsive decisions have led to, murdered fish. Better than children I suppose.

TACO!

Will out

The greatest week of my life part two: The rest of Kyoto

At last at long last I continue my post on my fantastic and eye opening trip to Japan. Yes I know it has been almost 7 weeks, and you have longs since lost interest, I don't care. I feel the need to finish this extended post before I lose all drive to do anything. Plus I haven't seen any clamors for more posts or any competing blogs so I still think I am the most successful of anyone that I know so there.

Anyways onto the 2nd 3rd and 4th fantastic magical days in Japan. It started off with a bit of a whimper as I overslept by a fair margin and awoke at 11 AM instead of my planned 7. I was thus forced to rush and see as much of the lovely city as I could wrangle in the the remaining 10 hours of daylight. I will say that I managed to do a fair amount and that I regret nothing! I began my day walking north through Higayashima in the grand idea of finding the Path of Philosophy. I did indeed find it but not before finding places that might have changed my entire view of the world...go figure. My personal favorites of the day were Eikan-do which made me want to be a monk and Honen-in which made me realize that I couldn't hack it. All in all it was a fantastic way to spend a day and that doesn't even include the nightcap!

This was taken from Nanzen-ji, I found it to be rather unremarkable but nonetheless had pretty gardens. Climbing the old Gate for the view was fantastic though!

One of my 2 pictures of Eikan-do, I thought I had taken more but apparently I was mistaken. A truly beautiful place with a tremendous feel to it. One of the most fantastic things about visiting temples and shrines is that you must remove your shoes, which enables you to add a whole different sense to your experience. Eikan-do was one of the better "touch" sights.

A delicious and nutritious lunch at a place called Omen. You will notice the beverage. I believe that while on holiday two rights must be observed, lax drinking policies and a heavy indulgence in ice cream. Luckily for me I love green tea soft serve.

Makes me hungry....

Ginka-kuji. The famed Silver pavilion. was quite the sight even if it was under renovation...

Perhaps the most interesting feature were the ramrod straight trees. I was completely enthralled. Then again the gift shop was also special...

Honen-in. A fantastically beautiful temple complex nestled next to the mountains covered in moss. I love moss now. It might be my favorite green thing. Well aside from Gumby.

It was next to this hillside graveyard. Just too many beautiful things to see in Kyoto.

To this day I am uncertain if it is sacrilegious to take a picture of the Buddha. It certainly was a spiritual place that Honen-in.

That night I traveled from my hostel to Gion, the geisha district and found the Yasaka-jinja. Another tremendously beautiful and special place in a city filled with them. p.s. I am moving to Kyoto. Who wants to join me? Anyone?

I just loved how the lights hung.

The make-out spot of Kyoto. I guess I am intruding. It really was pretty though...

This here is Daisuke. He was eating at the same restaurant as I was and he never spoke a word to me. It wasn't until a few hours later that when I was sitting on the river bank that he felt that he should talk to me. His reasoning being that we both owned Moleskines, the same notebook of Hemingway and Picasso, and thus had fantastic lives to catalogue. I will agree with Daisuke as he taught me several important life lessons the most important of which is Tamasii. Look it up.

The next morning I went on quite the adventure with a Philly boy named Frank. 6 temples. 1 Castle. 10 hours. 1 gigantic bike trip. All in all a fantastic way to spend an evening, not even counting the evening excursion.

Two things Japan is known for Baseball and Temples

A graveyard at Kodai-ji temple

Kodai-ji was a lovely temple that had a really pretty pond that was known for its reflections.

Japanese breakfast sandwich.

Chion-in Temple had a terribly large mon or gate and rocky-styled stairway to match.

Underneath one of the eaves was an umbrella that was to welcome rain and keep away fire. I must spent 15 minutes looking in the eaves before finding it. Its the golden knobby thing. After a trio of temples Frank and I headed west to do our other trio. Time was against us and I still hadn't found ice cream, but morale was high. We made a detour to Nijo-jo and the Shogun's castle. It was pretty but had nicer gardens than anything else.

Following Nijo-jo the magical mystery tour continued west under cover of sunset, and the race for time truly began. The mission was to finish 3 temples in 2 hours, a tall order when each compound was massive and had so many beautiful things to see. Here are the highlights.

Me in my kabuki pose at Ninna-ji temple. Absolutely lovely with everything you would want in a Japanese temple ground, from big houses to pagodas to gardens. Good catchall place.

I am just a sucker for the Japanese architecture, and pagodas. I don't think I will ever grow tired of them. Lets hope not anyways.

Five of arguably the most famous Zen rocks in the world at Ryoan-ji temple.

Wouldnt be a trip to Japan without a golden building would it?

This is the lovely Kinkaku-ji temple, or "The Golden Pavillion"

We just managed to scrape together enough time to complete all the temple exploits I had planned I couldn't have been happier. Another beautiful day with rich history and eye candy galore. I will admit jealousy and the burning desire to never leave all the pretty set in here.

Chassu-Ramen, melt in your mouth delicious. Its the gold standard of Ramen, and makes me sad that the ramen we know has the same name. As far as noodles go it is way tastier than Mi-goreng. Which is saying a lot.

I ordered this by saying I'll have what he's having, while gesticulating wildly to the Japanese man next to me. I still dont know what it was. Eel maybe? Definitely delectable.

After dinner Frank and I went back to the hostel to see if we could find others that wanted to roam through Kyoto. We stopped and watched a Kung-fu movie first, it had every single cliche you might think of in a Kung-fu film. From dudes with scary monkeys, to lasers, to fighting Lions. It might have been the greatest movie of all time, but I shall never know its name, (Bruce Lee was in the beginning but then died 10 minutes into it... Only to reutrn for the last 5.) I have no idea why he was hired. Anyways after the movie we managed to convince an Aussie (Johnny) and a Swiss (Adrian) and we set out about the town. In our travels we met rogue Washingtonians, rich white rappers, go-go dancers, and even had fireworks. Truly a great way to send of Kyoto in style. Here are some of the more tasteful shots of the night.

Fireworks on the river!

We convinced some workers at a Karaoke house to join us for Karaoke after their shift ended and these were the lovely souls that dropped by. Oh by the way it might only be a North American thing to sing Queen at a Karaoke, because other than Frank and I it was dead silent when Bohemian Rhapsody came blissfully to life.

Here's the gang: Will, Frank, Adrien, and Johnny. Oh Kyoto I miss thee.

You know it was a good night when the sun comes up and an Aussie is flipping you off for taking his photo. It's only 6 am Johnny!

So that was my Kyoto portion of the trip and I know what youre thinking. Dude you went to Japan 2 months ago I am so past caring. Well I will trudge along and give you the rest of my awesome story because I told you I would, and I am no liar. Only terribly terribly lazy. Until next time (I swear I'll be better)

Will Out